Return to Transcripts main page

INSIDE AFRICA

Causes and Costs of Kenya's Violence

Aired February 3, 2008 - 12:30:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FEMI OKE, HOST: Hello, I'm Femi Oke. This is INSIDE AFRICA, your weekly look at life and issues on the continent.
Now, on the program this week, we take a helicopter tour of the devastation in Kenya's Rift Valley. This once peaceful area has turned into a battleground for tribe-on-tribe clashes.

But it's not just tribal fighting that's a problem. Feared gangs of new and old have got back together again. We're taking an in-depth look at the most feared gang in Kenya.

And later, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon gives us his reaction to the chaos in Kenya.

Now, just two months ago, Kenya was considered an oasis of stability in Africa. The country was a model for other African countries. Kenya had a working democracy, a stable economy, and was a magnet for tourism. But that all changed after the December elections. Since then, hundreds of Kenyans have been brutally killed in the ethnic violence. Here is how it all began.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OKE: December, 27th. Kenyans go to the pools to choose between incumbent President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga.

On December the 30th, the electoral commission announces Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki's reelection by a slim margin. He is quickly sworn in. Riots and looting break out.

January 1st. The U.N. reports nearly 200 deaths in post-election violence that's taking on ethnic overtones.

January 2nd. The head of the electoral commission says he is not sure who really won the election. Meanwhile, hundreds flee fearing more attacks.

January 10th. The African Union tries to end the political crisis, but those efforts fail.

January 24th. Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan mediates the first face-to-face meeting between the Kenyan president and the opposition leader.

January 29th. President Kibaki and opposition leader Odinga speak out about the violence at a news conference with Kofi Annan.

KOFI ANNAN, FMR. U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: There is an opportunity for the leaders to take responsibility and take charge and steer this nation towards peace and stability.

RAILA ODINGA, KENYAN OPPOSITION LEADER: We stand today at the crossroads of history for our country. Death, despair are everywhere.

MWAI KIBAKI, KENYAN PRESIDENT: I, therefore, strongly condemn all acts of violence that have been witnessed in our -- in parts of our country.

OKE: January 30th. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Jendayi Frazer calls the violence in Kenya ethnic cleansing. The U.S. State Department calls Frazer's comment "a personal assessment" and declined to categorize the situation in those terms.

February 1st. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrives in Nairobi to help foster talks between Kenyan's president and the main opposition leader. Hours later, the Kenyan government and its main opposition group agreed to a four-item agenda to end the violence.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OKE: Most of the deaths in Kenya are happening not from fighting between government forces and opposition members, but between rival tribes backing different political factions.

This is the capital, Nairobi. But it's over to the west, in Kenya's Rift Valley, where the violence has erupted. And this region has a series of small lakes further up towards the north, which makes it ideal for farming. The area is seen as the country's breadbasket.

The valley is the traditional home of the Kalenjin and Masai people. But when Kenya was granted independence in 1963, President Jomo Kenyatta gave the land to members of his Kikuyu tribe. But now the Kikuyu are being chased out of the valley by tribes looking to settle a decades-old grudge.

Now, CNN's Zain Verjee grew up in Kenya, and she took a helicopter tour of the Rift Valley to see firsthand what's happening to her home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At 3:00 in the morning, this town's neighbors of a different tribe came in and set this place on fire. 60 percent of this town has been razed, completely burned to the ground. People would have been asleep at night, and they fled not knowing what hit them.

But you can see here -- I'm in somebody's home -- and you see some maize that's been completely burned, potatoes. This would have been really to feed the family from the shambas or the fields nearby. And the excess would have probably been sent off to the market, so they can make a little bit of money. But as we just sort of walk around the home and the ash here, you can see the shattered plates, broken glass everywhere.

Oh, my goodness. Look, look at all this.

We've just landed in this town. There are a number of homes on fire here in the Rift Valley. We're going to take a look and see exactly what's happening over there. We've seen a few refugees just packing up their things and leaving. But we're going to take a look and see what's happening.

We've also put on these flack jackets. The reason is, a lot of people have been shot by poisoned bows and arrows, so we're putting them on for our protection.

It seems like this in the Rift Valley, that Kenyans are shaking their heads in disbelief. The tribe-on-tribe violence in this part of the Rift Valley is intense. We've been to see two different tribes in two different areas. They're neighbors, and both tribes are telling us how much they hate each other, and in many instances that they want revenge.

This is a house belonging to people from the Kikuyu tribe. In fact, this whole area that I'm standing in belongs to the Kikuyu. Most of it is smoldering, and many villages here are on fire.

Just across the road is a different tribe. The people we've spoken to here say that they have come over and attacked the homes, taken all their possessions, and set the place on fire.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OKE: Still ahead on INSIDE AFRICA. As Kenya descends into a political and tribal mess, gangs are also regrouping. We examine Kenya's most notorious gang, the Mungiki. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

OKE: Hello again, you're watching INSIDE AFRICA. We'll have more details on the unrest in Kenya in a few minutes, but first let's look at some other headlines making news on the continent this week.

South African police raided a Johannesburg church and took away large numbers of Zimbabwean refugees. The church is known as a haven for refugees fleeing neighboring Zimbabwe's political and economic troubles.

Algerian police are investigating a deadly car bomb attack in Thenia. Witnesses say officers opened fire on the vehicle as it sped towards the local police station.

And the French court has sentenced six charity workers to eight years in prison for the attempted kidnapping of 103 children in Chad. A court in Chad had already sentenced the Zoe's Ark group to eight years of hard labor back in December. But French President Nicolas Sarkozy intervened, and Chad handed the group over to France to serve their sentences.

Let's return now to Kenya, where much of the post-election violence has been orchestrated by gangs -- part criminal, part political. There are more than 20 gangs with tribal and ideological branches across Kenya. The most feared and notorious of the Kenyan vigilante forces is the Mungiki. Tim Lister reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TIM LISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A family grieves for a murdered son, a policeman killed after a firefight in a Nairobi slum, a restaurant stormed by unknown gunmen. All these incidents happened long before the post- election violence that has ravaged Kenya. And all bore the hallmarks of the Mungiki. Part-religious sect, part gang -- experts say the Mungiki has become rich through extortion. Kenya's thriving mini-bus industry is a favorite target.

Mungiki gangs rule slum neighborhoods with brutality, sometimes beheading their victims, and attacking women who are not covered.

LAWRENCE LENAYAPA, DISTRICT COMMISSIONER: We need to demystify this group. This is just a group of criminals.

LISTER: Mungiki means multitude in the Kikuyu language. Formed in the 1980s, the group claim to draw inspiration from the Mau Mau rebellion against British rule. Mungiki worship the Kikuyu god and insists men and women must pray separately. They also support female circumcision.

Back in 2002, the group operated in the open, and its founder, Maina Njenga, spoke to CNN about the group's goals.

MAINA NJENGA, MUNGIKI SECT FOUNDER: We talk about the -- the corruption, the abuses of power. We talk about social services. The way it is supposed to be made, and those corrupted people must be removed and be replaced with the other people.

Soon after that interview, the group was banned by the government.

Then last June, two police officers were shot and killed. The government declared war on the Mungiki.

KIBAKI: Those who are (inaudible) on criminal activities must be dealt with firmly by our security agencies.

LISTER: But some here say firmly may also mean indiscriminately. Mungiki member Alexander Kangeti Ngai (ph) says police brought him to this forest near Nairobi, tied him up and threatened to kill him. His allegations don't surprise human rights activists.

HASSAN OMAR HASSAN, KENYA NATL. MISSION, HUMAN RIGHTS: We know that there has been a lot of extra-judicial executions, and we know that there has been a wave of terror. And therefore, upon receipt of such information, we need to get to the bottom of it.

LISTER: Last year, the security forces launched a series of raids in a huge slum of Mathare on the edge of Nairobi, rounding up dozens of young men for questioning. But in the chaos since the election, the Mungiki have returned with a vengeance. When Luo began attacking Kikuyu after the election, Mungiki struck back, attacking and killing Luo in Mathare.

The group is also active in the towns of Naivasha and Nakuru in the Rift Valley, scene of much of the ethnic violence. Aid officials say they have been responsible for killing several ethnic Luo in both towns.

The post-election clashes have helped the Mungiki recruit and organize, and they're now a potent element in Kenya's cycle of ethnic violence.

Tim Lister, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OKE: Let's take a closer look now at some of the most chilling aspects of the violence in Kenya. Have a look at these photographs. Here we see children caught up in their parents' war. This boy belongs to the Kikuyu tribe, which is allied with President Kibaki. He holds a machete in a village where a number of houses were burnt in an attempt at ethnic cleansing. To the many people who are on the run from ethnic cleansing, you can see these photographs taken from people who are just trying to get to safety.

And in this picture, young boy scrambles for grain that fell from World Food Programme truck in Nairobi. Kenyans seeking refuge from the ethnic fighting are making their way to the capital, where they still face a fight to survive.

We've been asking viewers in Africa for photographs and video of the situation in Kenya. And thanks to you, we have a personal view of what's happening in Kenya. CNN I-Reporter Brian Czarnik sent us video from the Mara Park in Kenya, where he says the tribal violence is keeping tourists away.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN CZARNIK, I-REPORTER: I'm Brian. Right here in the Masa Mara. This is late January. This is when the tourist season would really be picking up. As you can see, even in the crowded Mara, there is nobody here.

For instance, a scene like this, with this beautiful lion, would normally attract lots of tour buses around it. And the chance to see a cheetah like this -- you wouldn't be alone. You'd be surrounded by other jeeps (inaudible).

The recent unfortunate events that continue in Nairobi have crippled the tourist industry. All around us, hotels are close, and safari camps are sending home their employees with no money earned.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OKE: Brian, thank you so much for your video. I really love the animals in your I-Report.

And if you see news happening in Africa and want to become an I-Reporter, send us your images and your pictures. Just go to CNN.COM/INSIDEAFRICA and click on the I-Report section.

And coming up on INSIDE AFRICA, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the meeting between Kenya's president and opposition leader is a good step, but not enough. We'll hear from Ban Ki-moon when INSIDE AFRICA returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Business news in Africa this week: LG Electronics showed off a 42-inch digital television it's going to sell in Kenya, which announced eight months ago existing analog TVs will soon be obsolete. They won't get the digital signals Kenya will adopt in 2015.

In Lagos, Nigeria, construction starts mid-month on bathrooms for public schools that never had toilets or currently have non-functioning toilets. The commissioner for the environment said nationwide, most schools still lack any sanitation facilities, a situation he called deplorable.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OKE: You're watching INSIDE AFRICA. Welcome back.

Returning now to Kenya, where the political crisis is expected to dominate talks at the African Union summit. But ahead of that summit, international leaders were already discussing the chaos in Kenya when they gathered in Davos for the World Economic Summit. Our Becky Anderson talked with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Davos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think most people would agree, this is an internal problem, an internal issue which has been going on for years and years and years. And if you ask people in Kenya, to a certain extent, they will say, it's not your problem, it's ours.

BAN KI-MOON, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: It can -- one can argue this is an internal problem, but this internal regional issues cross beyond the borders. This is a huge serious human rights situation there.

So the United Nations is a pillar -- one of the pillars is the human rights. Therefore, the United Nations is taking all necessary measures to provide humanitarian assistance to help for people and protect all this humanitarian rights abuses.

ANDERSON: You sounded as if you're not particularly optimistic today about what's happening in Kenya. I put it to you then, how would you characterize the situation in Darfur at this point? Because if you're not particularly optimistic about what is going on in Kenya, you must be extremely pessimistic about the situation there.

BAN: I'm also deeply concerned about the situation in Darfur. We have tried to deploy a full length of 26,000 (ph) soldiers from January this year. Now we have only 9,000. We had it from African missions to (inaudible).

I'm going to meet and discuss with President Bashir on the occasion of the African Union summit meeting, which will be held in Addis Ababa next week, and I'm doing my best to make some accelerated process in political negotiation, and also help Sudanese political stability.

This is something which the whole international community, Sudanese government must cooperate fully to implement Security Council resolutions.

ANDERSON: Let's face it, the international community wants action that the Sudanese, it seems, don't.

BAN: I will continue to do my best effort to implement all this agreements.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OKE: And that was CNN's Becky Anderson speaking with U.N. Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon in Davos.

When INSIDE AFRICA continues, Terry Baddoo joins us for a check on the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Ghana. We are down to the final eight teams. Find out who's in and who's out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

OKE: Good to see you again.

The Africa Cup of Nations is now down to the final eight teams. Now, obviously, we can't let this crucial point in the tournament go amok (ph). So I'm honored, you know, delighted, thrilled to be joined on the set by Terry Baddoo and (inaudible)...

TERRY BADDOO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The pleasure is all yours.

OKE: Thank you so much.

OK, so 24 games, I've been counting so far. Any surprises as to who got into the quarter-finals and who was left out?

BADDOO: For me, I don't think so. With the possible exception of Guinea, there are no real surprises from the eight teams still left in the competition. Though fans of Morocco, who missed out, might beg to differ, of course.

The quarter-finals start on Sunday. The Ivory Coast, who began as title favorites, take on Guinea in Secombe (ph). That is followed by a mammoth game in Accra, where the host nation Ghana will face neighboring Nigeria in a huge West African derby.

OKE: Let's go Super Eagles!

BADDOO: Indeed. That's followed on Monday by the second batch of quarters, in which cup holders and record five-time champions Egypt face Angola, who made it past the group stage for the first time in four attempts. That match takes place in Kumasi (ph), and it's followed in Somali (ph) by 2004 champions Tunisia against four-time winners Cameroon. Some interesting match-ups there. I'm sure you'll agree.

OKE: Yeah, yeah. In Ghana right now, the phrase is "host and win." If you look ahead to Sunday with a game against Nigeria and then all the way through to the titles, do you think they've got a chance?

BADDOO: Well, obviously, being half-Ghanaian, I hope they have, and I believe it's going to be tough. Egypt and Tunisia, the last two winners, they did it on home turf. Ghana didn't start that well against Guinea, and they got better against Namibia, and they were very impressive against Morocco, partly because their coach gave Michael Essian, the mid-fielder from England's Chelsea, a freer reign, and that worked wonders. Local derby with Nigeria, though, anything can happen. So it is going to be tough.

Funny thing I heard is that some fans of Ghana were wanting this derby. They wanted Nigeria to get through. They got their wish. Let's hope they don't live to regret it.

OKE: It's going to be a great game. You and I are going to be cheering for opposite sides.

BADDOO: Will we be speaking on Monday morning?

OKE: There's Ghana, here's Nigeria.

Let's look at the actual game. I mean, 24 games, 24 games - was there any football that you just thought, that is fantastic footie?

BADDOO: In terms of fantastic football, there have been some great goals. Five of which have come from Samuel Eto of Cameroon in just three matches. And in doing so, he broke the all-time record for career goals in the African Cup of Nations with 16, and that record had lasted for I believe for 37 years. So that's some going.

The thing is, with him, is that not only is he a great striker in his own right, but he makes other defenders think about him, where he is. While they are thinking about him, that opens up the road for other players to score. So he is very key, and he's one of the players you've got to watch out for at all times. The man from Barcelona.

OKE: There was a scene (inaudible), I'm very fond of Bofana Bofana from South Africa. Let me just look what they did - no wins, two draws, and they lost the game. And they are hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

BADDOO: Yes, that was unfortunate, but it really wasn't a total surprise. The fact is that since 1996, they've been in a bit of a decline, and under Carlos Alberto Pereira, the legendary Brazilian coach, they are in a very much in a transitional period.

The good thing for them is that the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup, which they host, are also the qualifiers for the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola. So...

(CROSSTALK)

BADDOO: So they have to play competitive matches, and that's vital for a host nation, because normally they don't have to, because they qualify for the World Cup automatically.

OKE: So there is more pressure on them to actually come up with the goods.

BADDOO: Yes, and it's only in the high-pressure situations that you really learn about your team and where you have to perform. So good news in the future possibly to South Africa, but in the immediate present, not so good.

OKE: This isn't your seat (ph), don't worry about this. This would be too much for you. 45,000 CD's I have to put down on the game on some day. Shall it put it on the Super Eagles or the Black Star?

BADDOO: I'll tell you what, just give it to me.

(LAUGHTER)

OKE: Terry Baddoo, thank you very much.

Thanks, Terry, take care very much indeed.

And that's our show for this week. Thank you for letting INSIDE AFRICA be your window to the continent. I'm Femi Oke. Until the next time, take care.

END

TO ORDER VIDEOTAPES AND TRANSCRIPTS OF CNN INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMING, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE THE SECURE ONLINE ORDER FROM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com