Background to the 2008 Post-Election Crisis in Kenya

On December 27, 2007, Kenyans voted in large numbers in general elections for both president and parliament after a long and closely fought election campaign. The election itself was seen as free and fair, although there were small-scale incidents of violence. After a two-day delay in releasing election results, the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) declared President Mwai Kibaki of the Party of National Unity (PNU) the winner of the presidential vote, by a narrow margin, over the opposition candidate Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). Local and international election observers believe that the counting and tallying of the presidential vote were seriously flawed. The ECK Chairman and four other Commissioners have since expressed doubts as to whether President Kibaki won the elections. President Kibaki was quickly sworn in for a second term on December 30.
 

The announcement of election results and President Kibaki's inauguration was followed by widespread outrage and violence, in many parts of Kenya particularly in Nairobi, Nyanza Province, Western Province, the Rift Valley and Coast Province. Anger over what was seen by many as a rigged election result has led to political and communal violence in Nairobi and Western Kenya. The violence pitted supporters of the opposition who believed the election was stolen in President Kibaki's favor.

There were reports of excessive use of force by the police leading to fatal shootings, especially in Kisumu, where the government was alleged to have issued a shoot-to-kill order. Police response to the violence and to ODM protests have often involved excessive use of force, including the shooting of over 100 opposition supporters.

The political crisis in Kenya has led to numerous human rights violations and abuses in different parts of the country. Amnesty has received reports of unlawful killings, gender based violence, death threats against prominent human rights defenders and activists, violations of freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly and excessive use of force by security officials.

Since the second half of January, the violence has increasingly involved organized attacks by Kalenjin and Luo militia and/or youth gangs, against people of Kikuyu ethnicity, and retaliatory violence by Kikuyu militias and youth gangs. These violent attacks have overwhelmingly been targeted at civilians, and have included massacres such as the burning to death of over 30 people of Kikuyu ethnicity in a church in Eldoret on December 31, and the burning to death of at least 10 people of Luo ethnicity in Naivasha. In both instances the victims were largely women and children who fled from earlier attacks.

Informal roadblocks quickly sprung up in many parts of Kenya, and numerous areas became no-go zones for members of the wrong ethnic group, as reprisals for the violence continued. In early February, an Amnesty International delegation traveled to Kenya, investigating human rights violations that have occurred during the post-election violence. This violence has included:

• Politically-motivated and ethnic killings by armed gangs in several parts of Kenya targeted members of communities from which President Kibaki was perceived to have drawn his support, particularly members of the Kikuyu community.
• Organized attacks targeting internally displaced persons (IDPs) who are seeking refuge after fleeing their homes as a result of the violence.
• Organized attacks against members of communities perceived to have supported opposition candidate Raila Odinga in the disputed December elections.
• Excessive use of force and shooting to kill by members of Kenyan police and other security forces in the process of quelling communal violence and mass protests/rallies called by the Orange Democratic Movement over the disputed election results.

The communal violence is reported to have resulted in over 1,000 deaths with the UN stating that 250,000 people have been displaced. Thousands others have crossed into Uganda and Tanzania as refugees.

After several weeks of mediation led by former UN secretary general Kofi Annan combined with pressure for the international community, a political power sharing agreement was signed by President Kibaki and ODM leader Raila Odinga on February 28.  This agreement calls for the establishment of a prime minister post as well as cabinet posts to be split between the political parties based on their parliamentary strength.

Amnesty International’s fact-finding mission to Kenya found grievous human rights abuses and violations, demonstrating the necessity of ensuring that a human rights agenda is central to ongoing peace and reconciliation negotiations.  Amnesty International calls on the Kenyan government to establish an independent and impartial public inquiry into the violence to ensure that there is no impunity for perpetrators of human rights violations.  Those responsible for killings or other human rights abuses should be brought to justice in proceedings that comply with international fair trial standards. Victims and their families must benefit from the right to redress and reparation, including compensation.

Hear Kenyans' Testimonies
Victims of the political violence in Kenya are speaking out about the dangerous conditions they face in their country. Audiofiles of their personal testimonies can be found here.

Amnesty International Statements

You can see all of Amnesty International's public statements on the Kenyan crisis on the AIUSA Kenya page.

How Amnesty Members Worldwide Reached Out for Kenya

On February 27, 2008, Amnesty International activists took to the streets in countries across the world to show solidarity with the people of Kenya who have suffered in the horrific violence that erupted after disputed election in December 2007 and divided Kenya down political and ethnic lines. More than 10,000 people in 22 countries participated in the international day of action through a combination of online activism and public gatherings.

Amnesty International activists condemned the violence, urged Kenya's leaders to ensure that the human rights of Kenyan people are upheld, and called for those responsible for the violence to be held accountable.  On February 28, President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga signed a power-sharing agreement in Nairobi, an important step towards resolving the conflict.

Thank you to the many advocates who organized vigils, demonstrations, and other actions calling attention to the grave injustices taking place in Kenya. With your help, we will continue to call on Kenya's leaders to ensure that the human rights of the Kenyan people are upheld in the truth, justice and reconciliation process.

See the You Tube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbcQ2wTuREs

Vigils and Demonstrations

Vigils and demonstrations were held in eleven countries, including Australia, Cote d’Ivoire, Canada, Germany, Mali, Mexico, Netherlands, Uganda, the United Kingdom, Uruguay and the United States.

In the United States, public vigils took place in Washington, DC; Somerville, MA; Los Angeles, CA; and Denver, CO (the sister city of Kenya's capital, Nairobi).  Others, like the St. John’s University group in Collegeville, MN, gathered signatures on our petition calling for the protection of human rights defenders.

Reach Out for Kenya on Flickr

Amnesty International members worldwide have posted photos to show their solidarity, including photos from vigils and demonstrations: http://www.flickr.com/photos/reachoutforkenya. Your messages resonate with the voices of the Kenyan people and increased the magnitude of their call for peace.

Reach Out for Kenya on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8721569146

More than 6,500 people around the world joined the Reach Out for Kenya Facebook group. Members showed their solidarity with the people of Kenya by changing their profile pictures, sending letters and messages to Kenyan leaders, and posting messages of support.

Other Sources for News

• Two of Kenya's major daily newspapers are available online: the Daily Nation and the Standard
• The weekly newspaper the East African is also available online
• Human Rights Watch has released a number of statements and has conducted a mission to Kenya.
• AllAfrica.com is a news service that compiles articles from a variety of sources and has provided regular coverage of Kenya
• The BBC has extensively covered the crisis.
• Kenyan bloggers created Ushahidi.com to document incidents of violence across the country.