KikuyusforChange Footprints as at December 2009
Kikuyusforchange is a lobby group that was formed in April 2008 by young people from the Kikuyu community who felt that Kenyans need to face-up to the fact that negative ethnicity is a primary source of resistance to the resolution of various issues of national importance, past & present (e.g. the war on impunity & corruption, the pursuit of reform, political accountability, etc). During the period till now we have been involved in several activities as we seek to hold conversation on this issue. These activities include:
1) Inter-Ethnic Discussions:
a) We have been part of a process that is establishing dialogue platforms where young opinion leaders from different communities in Kenya can come together & hold candid discussions on ethnicity, as well as develop strategies and activities that promote good neighbourliness, reconciliation & national cohesion, towards building national unity across communities. The first series of these meetings enabled representatives from the Kikuyu, Luo & Kalenjin communities to meet & spend 3 separate weekends on this issue. The young leaders from these communities met and held candid and honest discussions under the theme ‘National Interests Vs Community Interests: What comes First? Several other meetings have been held and substantial progress made towards understanding the issue of tribal animosity, and answering the question “Is Kenya a Nation of Individuals or a Country of Tribes?’
b) We have established a network with other community based groups through a programme we initiated with several other groups, called Regional Dialogues Forum. The purpose of this programme is the exchange of ideas on how to deal with issues of ethnicity.
c) We have been a key part of a process established to discuss strategies & ideas that can be developed for use within each community in Kenya, to confront negative ethnicity.
d) In April 2009 our representatives were invited as guests at a peace rally organized in Ndeffu, Njoro in Rift Valley Province (a violence hot-spot during PEV). This event brought together close to 4,000 people, comprising of kikuyus and kalenjins, and the representatives of both communities exchanged a peace torch in our presence & that of the Ambassador of America, as a sign of their commitment to work towards lasting peace in their area.
e) In April 2009 representatives of Kikuyusforchange travelled to Kisumu as guests of Nyanza Youth Coalition during a discussion forum they had organized for over 800 young people from the Luo community. They had come together to discuss Agenda 4 and make known their concerns about the slow pace of reforms.
f) In August 2009 we conceptualized & fundraised to facilitate 9 other communities to initiate similar intra-ethnic initiatives. Between September & December 2009 7 communities (Kambas, Luhyas, Kisii, Kalenjins, Mijikenda & Teso) held intra-ethnic discussion forums on what tribe is, how it affects relations with people of other tribes, how it affects the Kenyan identity, & a tribes requirements of Kenya. Between January & February 2010 three other communities will also hold their own (Maasai, Somali & Borana).
g) The 9 forums were started off with a small inter-ethnic forum in Nairobi, & will culminate with a 250-person inter-ethnic forum in February 2010.
2) National Events:
a) In September 2008 we were part of a nationwide campaign on inter-ethnic harmony that culminated in over 1,000 young people meeting in Bomas of Kenya under Youth Agenda, in the 2008 National Youth Convention (NYCiv).
b) In May 2009 we hosted a group of over 170 young leaders of 15 ethnic grass-root-based community organizations drawn from across all the provinces in Kenya. The groups presented their communities views on whether the implementation of Agenda 4 will unlock the issues that lead to ethnic tension.
3) Internal Community Discussions:
a) We have held several press conferences to respond to utterances and/or political positions by especially political leaders, where we feel such utterances promote negative ethnicity & tribalism.
b) We are running a program of discussion forums across Kenya for young people, especially the middle-class, seeking ways to engage them on matters of national interest so as to involve them in local & national politics.
c) We are working with various community organizations in Central to facilitate how this grass-root-based community elders organization that has a representation of over 1,600 elders in all the regions of Kenya where the kikuyu community lives, and include them in the inter-ethnic discussions that kikuyusforchange has been having with young people from other communities, so that we can have an elders-to-elders interaction as well.
d) In December 2009 we developed a summarized analysis on the Kikuyu Community today, with suggestions on proposed ways forward towards solving the anti-kikuyu attitudes, as well as developing national cohesion all round.
e) In December 2009 we met the GEMA Cultural Association (GCA), a kikuyu elders association drawn primarily from the business & political elite of the community, where we presented our concerns based on the analysis above. We raised issue with the fact that nothing was been done to manage the pervasive national, though localized, anti-kikuyu sentiments in most parts of the country. In the same month we also held similar meetings with the Rift Valley Council of Elders (kikuyu) and MOKECES (Mt. Kenya Council of Elders), where we raised similar concerns as those we had raised with GEMA.
4) Civic Education & Engagement on National Issues:
a) In July 2009 we organized & self-funded a discussion forum where our members met & learnt about the various funds devolved to constituencies. We also discussed how ordinary citizens can engage in the processes of managing these funds, as well as how to conduct social audits. This meeting was the first of a 29 such discussion forums we intend to hold in each of the 29 constituencies of Central province. We expect to enable our members acquire knowledge on how they can participate in grass root development programmes.
b) On 2nd September we presented a memorandum to the CDF Review Task Force seating in Nairobi where we presented our position as developed by our members in the discussion forum above, & in subsequent virtual-based discussions thereafter
c) On 4th November we presented a memorandum on our position as regards the proposed review of constituency boundaries to the Interim Independent Boundaries Review Commission seating in Nyeri
d) In December 2010 one of our members developed a ‘Draft Constitution Companion’, a 25-page illustrated presentation of the 180+ draft constitution that was released to the public for debate as the country prepares to change the constitution. The companion is a simplified version that enables easier understanding of several key aspects of the draft constitution. It has been circulated on the internet to the all the networks we know of as a means of disseminating this crucial information.
e) On several occasions we have, & continue to publicly state our positions on issues of national importance including how to deal with Post Election Violence Perpetrators, Mau Forest reservation, Ethnic Bashing, US & European Union engagements with Kenya, etc.
5) Public Awareness:
a) Radio- In 2008 we were invited on three different occasions onto Radio Simba, to speak about our message. On 3 occasions this year we have been invited to Kiss FM Radio Station’s Big Breakfast Show to share what we are doing internally within the kikuyu community, as well as with other communities across Kenya. In each session we spoke about what we are involved in, with others, to bring about national cohesion and integration for the next generation of Kenyans.
b) Television-Early in 2009 we were invited to KBC (DAMKA), and on 2 other occasions in July 2009 we were invited to The Louis Otieno Show on Citizen TV. In November we were invited to Fist to Five (Citizen), & twice on This is Louis, (K24) to share our views on tribalism, the youth agenda & the constitution.
c) Newspapers-we have featured in mainstream & alternate media news articles as well as provided our views through articles written by our membership, on issues of national importance including our role in the reform agenda in Kenya, ethnicity/tribalism and various actions & decisions by the country’s leadership.
d) Media Convergence: – In December 2009 we held a media breakfast for people from various media houses & different stations, to discuss the harmonised draft constitution & propose how the media can assist get correct information to their constituencies.
e) Internet-Kikuyusforchange maintains a vibrant presence on the internet through a website (www.kikuyusforchange.com) as well as a very active internet discussion group (kikuyusforchange@google groups.com) through which members are able to share ideas, discuss issues and provide suggestions for action on especially current issues, and thus keeps relevant continuously.
6) Other Activities:
a) Town-Hall Meetings- In November & December 2009, in partnership with the American Embassy we have been involved in a forum in Kiambu, that included youth town-hall meetings with the US Ambassador, as well as conversations on possible US agency-involved development projects in Central province. These are to continue in 2010, with meetings in Muranga & Nyeri in January.
b) Listening Meetings- In December 2009, in partnership with the Royal Netherlands Embassy we have been involved in one small (10-person) forum in Nyeri, where various stakeholders (elders, youth, business people, etc) in a region seat with the Netherlands Ambassador & discuss issues of reforms, development projects, etc. These are to continue across Central Province in 2010.
Early 2010 Events:
- National: – In February 2010 we will be hosting a group of over 250 young leaders of at least 15 ethnic grass-root-based community organizations drawn from across all the provinces in Kenya, as a culmination to our discussions on tribes & nationalism.
- Inter-Ethnic Celebrating PEV Heroes. In February 2010 we also initiate a project that will identify Kenyans from a cross section of ethnic groups and sectors who defended the rights of others when it would have been easier and safer to follow the tide of hatred and violence, or at most, do nothing at all.
- Intra-Ethnic:-Self-Analysis: From February 2010 we start a series of discussion forums across Central province to explore whether there is a discrepancy in how kikuyus perceive themselves, & how others perceive them, and if so, why.
‘Thegiù Mùno’ to several institutions who have partnered with us to enable platforms for discussion, facilitating events & meetings, having their members participate in our events as speakers, or speaking with us, or speaking with others favourably about us. They include:
1) Open Society Institute of East Africa (OSIEA)
2) Fredrich Ebert Foundation (FES)
3) Kenyans For Peace, Truth & Justice (KPTJ)
4) Movement For Political Accountability (MOPA)
5) Youth Agenda
6) Centre For Multi-Party Democracy (CMD) Kenya
7) Diversity Africa Foundation
8) The American Embassy
9) The German Embassy
10) The Netherlands Embassy
11) Radio Africa Limited
12) Citizen TV
13) Nation Newspapers
14) The Standard newspapers
15) K24 Tv
16) KBC
17) Radio Simba
18) Media Focus on Africa
19) Nyanza Youth Coalition
20) Rift Valley Youth Coalition/Rift Valley Dialogue Forum
21) Ukambani Progressive Forum
22) Teso Progressive Forum
23) Coast Citizen’s Coalition
24) Western Youth Forum
25) Northern Frontier For Democracy
26) GADA (Borana)
27) Maa Civil Society Groups
28) Nyeri Social Forum
29) Kenya Movement For Democracy & Justice (KMDJ), UK
30) Kenyans For Change – US
31) GEMA Cultural Association
32) Mt Kenya Council of Elders (MOKES)
33) Rift Valley Council of Elders
34) Komothai Council of Elders
Special thanks also to those numerous individuals who have been with us at different points.
Happy 2010 Everyone!!
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