John Makeni
25 June 2008
Nairobi — Mr Jacob Kenduiywo and his wife, Anne, receive the key to their house from Uasin Gishu DC Leonard Ngaluma during the official handover of five of the 10 houses by the Kenya Red Cross Society at Matharu village in Uasin Gishu District on Monday. The move is aimed at resettling refugees who have gone back to their farms. The remaining houses are under construction. Photo/PHOEBE OKALL
Their faces are bright as they absorb the rays of the mid-morning sun, spreading a hint of enthusiasm with the arrival of a convoy of vehicles belonging to the Kenya Red Cross Society and the local administration.
Residents line up by the roadside, with some virtually filling the small compound at Gatina village with the hope that this will be the last of the murky path that they have trodden since violence erupted after the December 27 polls - there is much to be passionate about when two communities, the Kikuyu and Kalenjin, come together in the spirit of reconciliation.
The joy that engulfed this village in Matharu Location, Timboroa, on Monday was a far cry from the smoke that billowed and the terror that descended upon it in January and February, this year, when displaced residents had to flee for their dear lives at the outbreak of violence.
Amnesty debate
But times have changed, and even with the controversy surrounding the thorny debate of amnesty and resettlement of internal refugees, this place carries the portrait of hope and trails the blaze for peace and reconciliation.
Although the clashes bred mistrust among the locals, in its aftermath, as the Daily Nation found out, there is still unwavering resolve for the two communities in this area to reconcile and coexist peacefully.
This spirit played out when the residents gathered to witness the handover of houses by the Kenya Red Cross Society to five residents adversely affected by the long drawn-out clashes that had threatened to bring the country to its knees.
Clad in a grey suit with matching brown shoes, Mr Macharia Miringu standing by his wife, Naomi Wangui, could not hide his delight that a new lifeline had been infused into a life that had been miserable and almost wretched a few months ago. He was the first beneficiary of a newly built house.
"I am happy to see all of you here. When the clashes started, I fled to the Eldoret ASK showground. I would sleep outside the tent while my wife and my children slept inside. When we were told to go back to our homes, I was worried because my house had been razed down," said the old man amid applause from the crowd that surrounded Uasin Gishu district commissioner Leonard Ngaluma and Kenya Red Cross secretary-general Abbas Gullet as KRCS's governor Paul Birech cut the tape to usher Mr Miringu in his new house.
Area chief Michael Kendagor moved around asking the locals to give the DC way to get to Mr Macharia's house. Mr Kendagor has been feted as one of the people promoting peace in the area.
"I never thought I would ever build such a house in my life. It is comfortable. It is not like the mud-walled house that was burnt down," said Mr Macharia as he stood at the entrance of his Sh70,000 wooden house. A section of the house is inscribed with the KRCS symbol and writings.
At the handover ceremony of the second house to Mr Jacob Kenduiywo, a village elder, Mr King'ori Kamau, 71, expressed happiness saying the house was a token of peace and a bright future.
Armed with an infectious smile, with her toddler saddled on her back, Ms Susan Wangari Kibe, 33, is still living in a temporary house within her homestead. However, she thinks it is better than the squalid life she led at the nearby Ndondori camp.
"Life was very difficult in the camp with my husband and five children. When you wake up in the morning there was no food, no water. I thought life had come to an end," said Ms Kibe.
Before fleeing to the camp on January 6, she was a shopkeeper in the neighbourhood. In fact, she was a successful businesswoman meeting the needs of the village by stocking goods such as cooking oil, kerosene and flour.
To augment their income and sustain their close-knit family, her husband, Mr James Kibe, ran a pool game business. Today, she says, she has started to plough her shamba and looks forward to reconstruct her life.
"I have decided to forgive. We have to forgive so that we can live together. I can't blame anyone because it was God's plan," said Ms Kibe, adding that the amnesty call should be handled with a lot of care lest it brings up problems again.
But amidst the painful ordeal he has experienced in the past five months, Mr John Kirwa, 59, has a reason to smile again. This was the second time his house was burnt down and the worst catastrophe he has ever encountered. When his house was first burnt down in 1992, he says, he recollected himself with ease.
Dreads return
Until Monday, Mr Kirwa and his family of two wives and 20 children were crammed in a relative's house because he could not seek refuge at the nearby refugee camp as, he says, most of the occupants were Kikuyu. He is Kalenjin.
In fact, he says, one of his wives still dreads coming back home. But on Monday, Mr Kirwa and his longtime neighbour, Mr Peter Muiruri, 56, were walking together, sometimes cracking jokes in what seemed to be a mixture of Kikuyu and Kalenjin. They have known each other for the last 20 years.
"I knew him even before we got married. Our children grew up together and he took me to Kiambu when my son married," said Mr Muiruri. "I have faith that there will be peace. Leaders should preach peace and not provoke others."
And there is a sense of optimism when you meet Mr Kirwa's son, Barnabas, 22, alongside his friends Samuel Kamau, 23, and Bethuel Kuria Gatui, 22, at Gatina village. The young men do not understand why their respective tribes turned against each other.
Classmates
Barnabas and Samuel have been classmates all through their primary and secondary school lives. As young boys growing up, they would play together and at school, they were both involved in athletics. Then Barnabas and Samuel had not realised that they were Kalenjin and Kikuyu, respectively.
Last Christmas, the two were among a group of youth that watched the movie Delta Force at the Elshadai Video Show in Matharu. And just before the elections, they would go to church or catch up to play pool and darts at a local joint.
But then the outbreak of violence on December 31, last year, shattered the merry routine of the two friends. While Barnabas' family fled to a relative's home, Samuel's family sought refuge at a camp for the displaced.
When the ceremony came to a close with Mr Ngaluma's address, the residents sighed with relief hoping that peace will prevail.
"We plan to build a thousand houses in addition to rebuilding the schools. We are going to help you - even those who don't want to return will come back," said Mr Gullet.
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