The US wants Kenya to lead a force in Haiti with 1,000 police. Watchdogs say they’ll export abuse



BY CARA ANNA
 August 3, 2023

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — As the U.S. government was considering Kenya to lead a multinational force in Haiti, it was also openly warning Kenyan police officers against violent abuses. Now 1,000 of those officers might head to Haiti to take on gang warfare.

It’s a challenging turn for a police force long accused by rights watchdogs of killings and torture, including gunning down civilians during Kenya’s COVID-19 curfew. One local group confirmed that officers fatally shot more than 30 people in July, all of them in Kenya’s poorest neighborhoods, during opposition-called protests over the rising cost of living.

“We are saddened by the loss of life and concerned by high levels of violence, including the use of live rounds” during those protests, the U.S. said in a joint statement with 11 other nations in mid-July.

Now the U.S., as this month’s president of the U.N. Security Council, is preparing to put forward a resolution to authorize a mission in Haiti led by Kenyan police, who have relatively little overseas experience in such large numbers and don’t speak French, which is used in Haiti.


Haitians express skepticism over Kenya’s offer to UN to send police to confront gangs

US will put forward a UN resolution to authorize a Kenyan-led police mission to fight gangs in Haiti

UN chief welcomes Kenya’s offer to `positively consider’ leading police force to combat Haiti gangs

“This is not a traditional peacekeeping force,” the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said Tuesday.

For more than nine months, the U.N. had appealed unsuccessfully for a country to lead an effort to restore order to the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.

Kenya’s interest was announced on Saturday, with its foreign minister saying his government has “accepted to positively consider” leading a force in Haiti and sending 1,000 police officers to train the Haitian National Police, “restore normalcy” and protect strategic installations.

“Kenya stands with persons of African descent across the world,” Alfred Mutua said. A ministry spokesman didn’t respond to questions about the force or what Kenya would receive in return.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday praised Kenya for simply considering to serve, a sign of the difficulty in mustering international forces for Haiti, where deadly gang violence has exploded since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise.

Some organizations that have long tracked alleged police misconduct in Kenya are worried.

“We had some consultations with Kenyan (civil society organizations) last week and there was general consensus that Kenya should not be seen to be exporting its abusive police to other parts of the world,” Otsieno Namwaya, Kenya researcher with Human Rights Watch, told The Associated Press.

Kenya’s security forces have a yearslong presence in neighboring Somalia to counter Islamic extremists — a deadly threat that some Kenyans say should keep police at home — and troops have been in restive eastern Congo since last year. Past U.N. peacekeeping deployments include Sierra Leone.

But while other African nations including Rwanda, Ghana and Egypt have thousands of personnel in U.N. peacekeeping missions, Kenya has less than 450, according to U.N. data. Just 32 are police officers. The U.S. has a total of 35 personnel in U.N. peacekeeping missions.

“I have no knowledge of any complaints raised by the U.N. during those deployments, hence no concern on my end,” the executive director of the watchdog Independent Medico-Legal Unit, Peter Kiama, told the AP. “Remember, the major challenges regarding policing practices in Kenya include political interference with police command and independence, inadequate political will to reform the institution, culture of internal impunity and criminality, and inadequate internal and external accountability.”

With the Haiti deployment, Kenyan police would likely be in charge instead of answering to a U.N. force commander as in traditional peacekeeping missions.

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry on Tuesday said he spoke with Kenyan President William Ruto to thank Kenyans for the “demonstration of fraternal solidarity.” Kenya plans to send a task force in the coming weeks to assess the mission’s operational requirements.

“We have to find someone who can help us,” one Port-au-Prince resident, Benice Pierre, said Wednesday.

At home, Kenya’s police force has received millions of dollars in training and support from the U.S., European Union and other partners in recent years, with Washington focusing on “promoting police accountability and professionalism.”

But last week, Kenya’s National Assembly saw a shouted debate, along with demands for a moment of silence, over police actions during the recent protests.

“The kind of brutality that has been meted out on innocent and unarmed civilians in the last couple of months has been unprecedented,” minority leader Opiyo Wandayi said. “Those youth that you are killing require jobs, not bullets.”

Kenya’s leading opposition party has threatened to gather evidence to submit to the International Criminal Court.

In response, Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki said that police have remained “neutral, impartial and professional.” The ministry referred questions about alleged abuses to the police, who haven’t responded.

Ruto, elected president a year ago, at first praised police for their conduct during the protests, but later warned officers against extrajudicial killings as a public outcry grew.


Problems with Kenya’s police force have long been acknowledged, even by officials.

The National Police Service “does not have a ‘shoot to kill’ policy,” its inspector general, Hilary Mutyambai, said in a submission to a parliamentary inquiry on extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances released in late 2021.

But the government-created Independent Policing Oversight Authority told the inquiry it had received 95 cases of alleged deaths because of police action in the previous seven months alone, noting “continuous abuse of force and firearms occasioning deaths.”

A commissioner with the authority said last month that police weren’t even reporting deaths to the body as required, which is illegal.

Haiti prepares for possible multinational intervention under Kenyan leadership

ByThe Rio Times
July 30, 2023

Kenya has signaled readiness to lead this mission in response to Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s call for a multinational force.

The plan is to deploy 1,000 Kenyan police officers in Haiti to address the extreme violence and crises plaguing the population.

The return of such a force, reminiscent of the controversial UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) that ended six years ago, stirs mixed feelings in the Caribbean nation.

Past missions have been contentious, causing concern among many Haitians, particularly given the unresolved legacy of MINUSTAH, accused of causing a cholera outbreak and sexual abuse.

Over recent months, Haiti has witnessed escalated violence, resulting in numerous casualties, destroyed homes, and thousands of displaced persons.

Kenyan police force. (Photo Internet reproduction)

Armed gangs, acting with impunity, have filled the void left by ineffective authorities.

Kenya’s pledge to deploy police officers to Haiti hinges on the approval of the UN Security Council and Kenya’s constitutional processes.

While the announcement signals a potential shift in Haiti’s crisis, some voices warn about Kenya’s lack of experience in such operations.

As part of the population eagerly anticipates the intervention, others, scarred by past operations, show reluctance.

Some suggest that the physical resemblance between Kenyans and Haitians could facilitate acceptance of the mission.

Haiti’s Foreign Minister, Jean Victor Généus, reacted positively to Kenya’s announcement, expressing gratitude for the African solidarity.

However, former Prime Minister Claude Joseph voiced skepticism, questioning Kenya’s ability to manage an international force while dealing with its own internal crises.

This potential intervention comes as Haiti’s governance situation remains precarious.

Ariel Henry, governing without a Congress or political opposition since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021, faces accusations of unfulfilled promises.

These ongoing issues drive many Haitians to leave their country, seeking relief through humanitarian programs.

Biden cranks up diplomatic charm offensive in Kenya


SATURDAY JULY 29 2023


President William Ruto with Ambassador Katherine Tai, the Principal Trade Advisor 

and Spokesperson on US trade policy, at State House, Nairobi, Kenya on July 16, 2023. 

By LUKE ANAMI



In a span of two weeks, US President Joe Biden has dispatched two senior members of his administration to Nairobi with a firm message to President William Ruto on good governance, human rights and a subtle push on the geopolitics surrounding the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

And Kenya, a longtime Western ally, is under pressure to maintain trading ties with the US.

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The timing of the visit was significant as Russia hosted over 17 African leaders out of the expected 43 on Thursday and Friday, with promises of free Russian grain “to replace” Ukrainian grain export arrangement known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI).

Moscow pulled out of BSGI last week, accusing Ukraine of diverting it from poor recipients.

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On Friday, Brian Nelson, the US Department of Treasury’s Undersecretary for Counterterrorism and Financial Intelligence, met and held talks with President Ruto on matters of security, terrorism, food security and money laundering among others.

“Kenya will continue working with the US government to strengthen its laws and regulations on money laundering and financial terrorism,” said Dr Ruto tweeted soon after the talks at State House, Mombasa.

“A firm regulatory and administrative enforcement on the source and flow of illicit funds will effectively promote integrity and stability in our financial system, thereby spur economic growth.”

Before Nelson, President Biden dispatched Katherine Tai, Trade Representative.

As a member of Biden’s Cabinet, Ambassador Tai is the principal trade adviser, negotiator, and spokesperson on US trade policy and her visit was significant because the two countries are currently negotiating the US-Kenya Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership.

Read: US guarded on Kenya trade deal past Agoa expiry

Left out

Unlike the Economic Partnership Agreement that Kenya recently signed with the EU, the Office of the US Trade Representative is opting for tariffs to be left out of negotiations entirely, in line with the current US stance on trading with the rest of the world.

The trade negotiations are still ongoing. But Tai, who was making her second visit to Kenya on July 17, caused a storm within President Ruto’s government when she declined to meet Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria, in a subtle protest over his latter’s tweets and remarks including an attack on the media, opposition demonstrations and lack of decorum in his engagement with the public on social media.

In Kenya, Nelson also met with Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung’u, Ruto’s economic advisor Adan Mohamed and Augustine Cheruiyot, head of the Economic Transformation Secretariat.

Mr Cheruiyot is also Ruto’s chief adviser on food security and agriculture.

International Relations and Diplomacy expert Dr Peter Mwencha views the latest visit by the two high ranking US officials as significant in a sense that Kenya has always looked to the West and perhaps the Washington administration was around to strengthen the ties amidst the onslaught from Russia.

“We have traditionally been allied to the Americans and this is not something new. If you put it in the current situation where President Ruto is not participating in the Russia-Africa summit, it is not something that you can ignore,” said Dr Mwencha.

“If Kenya considers itself a US ally, Americans have certain expectations from Kenya. The reality is that the US would expect Kenya to support it by aligning to its policies.

Read:  Ruto, Biden teams open trade talks

During Nelson’s visit, mitigating the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was clearly on his agenda as Russian President Vladimir Putin met other African leaders in a summit that President Ruto did not attend.

Nelson’s visit was significant in as far as the US- Russia relations are concerned, in that a day before he arrived, the State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed on Wednesday, July 26 revealed that President William Ruto could not attend during a live briefing.

He (Ruto) will be represented by the organs of the Africa Union. This decision aligns with the stance of African Heads of State and Government, who believe that in order for Africa to engage in meaningful discussions with global partners,” said Mohamed.

One of the major reasons why the US is keen on Kenya is the significant role the country plays in security in the region.

“The US being a security first oriented foreign policy, that obviously is critical to their bilateral relationship with Kenya. That means that Kenya is supposed to support the US policies that they are championing,” said Dr Mwencha.

The latest travel by Under Secretary Nelson to Nairobi, Kenya and Mogadishu, Somalia was to underscore the US commitment to strengthening financial connections with Africa, fight against terrorism and money laundering.

AP PHOTOS: ‘If they die, we all die’: Drought kills in Kenya

By BRIAN INGANGA

Mohamed Mohamud, a ranger from the Sabuli Wildlife Conservancy, looks at the carcass of a giraffe that died of hunger near Matana Village, Wajir County, Kenya, Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. As world leaders address a global climate summit in Britain, drought has descended yet again in northern Kenya, the latest in a series of climate shocks rippling through the Horn of Africa. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The withered carcasses of livestock are reminders that drought has descended yet again in northern Kenya, the latest in a series of climate shocks rippling through the Horn of Africa.

As world leaders address a global climate summit in Glasgow, pastoralists watch their beloved animals suffer from lack of water and food. Yusuf Abdullahi says he has lost 40 goats.

“If they die, we all die,” he says.

Herders supply water from a borehole to give to their camels near Kuruti, in Garissa County, Kenya. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Herder Yusuf Abdullahi walks past the carcasses of his forty goats that died of hunger in Dertu, Wajir County, Kenya. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Kenya’s government has declared a national disaster in 10 of its 47 counties. The United Nations says more than 2 million people are severely food insecure. And with people trekking farther in search of food and water, observers warn that tensions among communities could sharpen.

Wildlife have begun to die, too, says the chair of the Subuli Wildlife Conservancy, Mohamed Sharmarke.

“The heat on the ground tells you the sign of starvation we’re facing,” he says.

The daughter of a herder family stands in the doorway of their hut near Kuruti, in Garissa County, Kenya. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Rangers from the Sabuli Wildlife Conservancy supply water from a tanker for wild animals in the conservancy in Wajir County, Kenya. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
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Experts warn that such climate shocks will become more common across Africa, which contributes the least to global warming, but will suffer from it most.

“We do not have a spare planet in which we will seek refuge once we have succeeded in destroying this one,” the executive director of East Africa’s Intergovernmental Authority on Development, Workneh Gebeyehu, said last month while opening a regional early warning climate center in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.

A boy stands near the rotting carcass of a camel that that died of hunger which people had burned to stop the bad smell, in Belif, Garissa county, Kenya. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A herder boy who looks after livestock quenches his thirst from a water point in the desert near Dertu, Wajir County, Kenya. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta agreed.

“Africa, while currently responsible for a negligible amount of total global greenhouse gas emissions, is under significant threat from climate change,” he said at the center’s opening. The continent is responsible for just 4% of global emissions.

Kenyatta was among the African leaders speaking at the global climate summit as they urged more attention and billions of dollars in financial support for the African continent.

The children of herders walk past cattle carcasses in the desert near Dertu, Wajir County, Kenya. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
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Herder children who look after their family's camels cool off and fill plastic containers with water from a water point in the desert near Dertu, Wajir County, Kenya. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Girls look after their family's camels as they drink from a water point in the desert near Dertu, Wajir County, Kenya. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Rangers from the Sabuli Wildlife Conservancy try to control a camel as it transports a tank of water to supply to wild animals in the conservancy in Wajir County, Kenya. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Women wait with their containers for a water distribution from the government near Kuruti, in Garissa County, Kenya. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A herder tends to his camels as they drink from a water point in the desert near Dertu, Wajir County, Kenya. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Follow AP’s climate coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate

Rhinos are returned to a plateau in central Kenya, decades after poachers wiped them out


A black rhino, on the Red List of Threatened Species according to IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), eats grass at Nairobi National Park, on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, on Jan. 31, 2024. Conservationists in Kenya are celebrating as rhinos returned to a grassy plateau that hasn’t seen them in decades.

 Kenya Wildlife Service rangers and capture team pull out a sedated black rhino from the water in Nairobi National Park, Kenya, on Jan. 16, 2024. Conservationists in Kenya are celebrating as rhinos returned to a grassy plateau that hasn’t seen them in decades. 

Kenya Wildlife Service rangers and capture team pull out a sedated black rhino from the water in Nairobi National Park, Kenya, on Jan. 16, 2024. Conservationists in Kenya are celebrating as rhinos returned to a grassy plateau that hasn’t seen them in decades. 

(AP Photos/Brian Inganga, File)

BY TOM ODULA AND DESMOND TIRO
 February 15, 2024

LOISABA CONSERVANCY, Kenya (AP) — Conservationists in Kenya are celebrating as rhinos were returned to a grassy plateau that hasn’t seen them in decades.

The successful move of 21 eastern black rhinos to a new home will give them space to breed and could help increase the population of the critically endangered animals. It was Kenya’s biggest rhino relocation ever.

The rhinos were taken from three parks that are becoming overcrowded to the private Loisaba Conservancy, where herds were wiped out by poaching decades ago.

“It’s been decades since rhinos roamed here, almost 50 years ago,” said Loisaba security manager Daniel Ole Yiankere. “Their numbers were severely impacted by poaching. Now, our focus is on rejuvenating this landscape and allowing rhinos to breed, aiming to restore their population to its former splendor.”

Moving rhinos safely is a serious challenge. The 18-day exercise involved tracking the rhinos using a helicopter and then shooting them with tranquilizer darts. Then the animals — which weigh about a ton each — have to be loaded into the back of a truck for the move.

Disaster nearly struck early in the relocation effort, when a tranquilized rhino stumbled into a creek. Veterinarians and rangers held the rhino’s head above water with a rope to stop it from drowning while a tranquilizer reversal drug took effect, and the rhino was released.

Some of the rhinos were transferred from Nairobi National Park and made a 300-kilometer (186-mile) trip. Others came from two parks closer to Loisaba.

Rhinos are generally solitary animals and are at their happiest in large territories. As numbers in the three parks where the rhinos were moved from have increased, wildlife officials decided to relocate some in the hope that they will be happier and more likely to breed.

David Ndere, an expert on rhinos at the Kenya Wildlife Service, said their reproduction rates decrease when there are too many in a territory.

“By removing some animals, we expect that the rhino population in those areas will rise up,” Ndere said. “And then we reintroduce that founder population of at least 20 animals into new areas.”

Loisaba Conservancy said it has dedicated around 25,000 hectares (about 96 square miles) to the new arrivals, which are a mix of males and females.

Kenya has had relative success in reviving its black rhino population, which dipped from around 20,000 in the 1970s to below 300 in the mid-1980s because of poaching, according to conservationists, raising fears that the animals might be wiped out completely in the country. Kenya now has around 1,000 black rhinos, the third biggest population behind South Africa and Namibia.

There are just over 6,400 wild black rhinos left in the world, all of them in Africa, according to the Save the Rhino organization.

Tom Silvester, the CEO of Loisaba Conservancy, said Kenya’s plan is to get its black rhino numbers to 2,000 over the next decade.

“Once we have 2,000 individuals, we will have established a population that will give us hope that we have brought them back from extinction,” he said.

Kenyan authorities say they have relocated more than 150 rhinos in the last decade.

An attempt to move 11 rhinos in 2018 ended in disaster when all of the animals died shortly after moving.

Ten of the rhinos died from stress, dehydration and starvation intensified by salt poisoning as they struggled to adjust to saltier water in their new home, investigations found. The other one was attacked by a lion.

Since then, new guidelines have been created for the capture and moving of rhinos in Kenya. Silvester said tests have been conducted on the water quality at Loisaba.

Kenya is also home to the last two remaining northern white rhinos on the planet. Researchers said last month they hope they might be able to save that subspecies after creating an embryo in a lab from an egg and sperm previously collected from white rhinos and transferring it into a surrogate female black rhino. The pregnancy was discovered in a postmortem after the surrogate died of an infection following a flood.
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Odula reported from Nairobi, Kenya.
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GLOBALIZED OUTSOURCING
Kenya to list skilled refugees for online work

POST FORDIST PROLETARIAT

SATURDAY OCTOBER 01 2022

Students at a school in Dadaab Refugees Complex in northeastern Kenya.

By MARY WAMBUI

Kenya plans to start a programme to list skilled refugees in a digital database to enable them get work from international organisations interested in outsourcing services.

The Ajira Digital Programme will be implemented by the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) and funded by the MasterCard Foundation, both of which say they will help push for adoption of refugees into legal work by also providing constant training opportunities.

Read: CLEMENTS: Kenya’s generosity towards refugees is impressive

Also read: How refugees bring along their music and culture, creating a melting pot

KEPSA, with the Amahoro Coalition, a platform of private organisations in the region, will target refugees in Kakuma and Dadaab, Kenya’s refugee centres that host more than 400,000 people.

Nairobi is taking advantage of the programme to entice refugees to leave the camps once they get legal work.

Kenya has traditionally allowed refugees to stay out of camps if they prove they can afford basic needs on their own.

But the refugee camps have had security issues in the past with Nairobi promising to close the two camps down on several occasions, citing terror threats.

Read: Kenya plans to close world's biggest refugee camp Dadaab: document

Also read: Kenya revises refugee camp closure to June 2022

Last year, however, Kenya’s Interior Ministry agreed to stagger the closure of the camps based on voluntary departure as well as gradual programmes to enable refugees live normally in the country or find work abroad.

Officials did not indicate how many refugees will initially benefit from the Ajira programme, but they said that many refugees in camps may face challenges due to lack of adequate skills, limited movement, limited access to formal education, and lack of a form of identity.

“We have a lot of talent waiting to be tapped among the refugee population in Kenya,” said Dr Ehud Gachugu, Project Director- Ajira Digital Program and Youth Employment at KEPSA.

Read: Kenya targets easier integration of refugees

“We have seen many examples of bright but marginalised young people delivering quality work to global clients through online platforms. Our aim is, therefore, to help grow and harness this talent to also deliver work for our local businesses, thus creating even more opportunities for refugees to add value not only in their local communities but also nationally.”

Ajira Digital Programme initially only served Kenyans with beneficiaries now at 1.9 million people since 2020 when it was launched for Kenyans.

A study dubbed ‘Private Sector Digital Outsourcing Practices in Kenya’ further indicates that 59 percent of the private sector in Kenya are currently outsourcing digital services with another 75 percent intending to outsource in the future.

Read: Education still elusive goal for refugees even with Uganda’s open door policy

Another study by the Amahoro Coalition and the International Trade Center (ITC) on “Kenya’s Private Sector Digital Outsourcing Landscape and Its Potential to Support Refugee Economic Inclusion” indicates that a lack of awareness of the skills and potential available among the refugee community is the greatest barrier to companies working with refugees. This is despite companies that had previously worked with refugee freelancers expressing satisfaction with their ability to deliver quality, timely and cost-effective work.

Kenya’s two refugee camps are located in Turkana and Garissa counties, some of the driest areas in Kenya. They host refugees from Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, DR Congo and Burundi.

 

A new book provides a roadmap for food systems transformation in Kenya

Book Announcement

INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE

 

IMAGE: 

TRANSFORMATION OF KENYA’S FOOD SYSTEM OFFERS A PROMISING AVENUE TO ACHIEVE THE COUNTRY’S DEVELOPMENT GOALS. THIS BOOK TAKES A CRITICAL LOOK AT THE WHOLE FOOD SYSTEM, INCLUDING FOOD SUPPLY CHAINS, THE FOOD ENVIRONMENT, CONSUMER BEHAVIOR, EXTERNAL DRIVERS, AND DEVELOPMENT OUTCOMES AND CONSIDERING THE SYSTEM’S HISTORY IN KENYA AND EXPERIENCES FROM OTHER COUNTRIES.

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CREDIT: IFPRI

The past few years have seen Kenya, along with many other countries, confronted with multifaceted and compounding challenges. The disruptions caused by COVID-19, high levels of food price inflation, and environmental crises, such as locust infestations and droughts, have severely tested the resilience of Kenya’s food systems and the affordability of food for its citizens. Against this backdrop of challenges and ongoing demographic shifts, urbanization, and stagnating agricultural production, the need for reexamining the approach to Kenyan food systems has never been more critical.

A new IFPRI book Food Systems Transformation in Kenya: Lessons from the Past and Policy Options for the Future responds to this imperative by bringing together a wealth of empirical research on various aspects of Kenya’s food systems and offering a comprehensive overview of their historical trajectories and possibilities for future evolution. The book, edited by Clemens Breisinger, Michael Keenan, Juneweenex Mbuthia, and Jemimah Njuki, was launched on January 8, 2024, in Nairobi, Kenya, during a hybrid event co-organized by IFPRI, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD), and the CGIAR Initiative on National Policies and Strategies.

The book takes a critical look at of the whole food system, including:

• The current state and drivers of transformation, in particular the country’s livestock sector and projections for its future.
• Ways to strengthen Kenyan food systems across several vital dimensions, such as promotion of healthier diets and food safety; enhanced productivity with greater intensification of the maize-based farming and improved access to agricultural inputs and mechanization; greater resilience through more widespread use of climate insurance and risk-contingent credit; improved livelihoods for women, youth, and smallholder farmers; and enhanced sustainability through postharvest management and digital tools.

Clemens Breisinger, the lead editor of the book, commented, “Kenya’s Government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) prioritizes food systems, and this book offers actionable strategies aligned with the national goals. Mobilizing funding for food systems transformation is critical as is strengthening the science-policy interface to help Kenya meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. Despite the important role of the agri-food sector in Kenya’s economy, public expenditure in it remains low, hindering effective policy implementation. We hope that this book will serve as a guiding compass, offering a thorough exploration of the country's food systems and presenting actionable recommendations to support positive change.”

Johan Swinnen, Director General of IFPRI and Managing Director, Systems Transformation, CGIAR, highlighted the diversity of the book’s authors. “Researchers from Kenyan universities and research institutes, IFPRI and CGIAR colleagues, international academics, and experts from multilateral institutions came together to write this comprehensive resource for decision-makers in Kenya.”

The Hon. Mithika Linturi, Cabinet Secretary, Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, noted in the foreword of the book, “We look forward to the Ministry’s continued collaboration with IFPRI, CGIAR, and other partners in creating research-based policy recommendations that will lead to a brighter, healthier future for all Kenyans.”

A free e-version of the book can be downloaded on the IFPRI website; print-on-demand hard copies can be ordered via Amazon.

Citation:

Breisinger, Clemens, ed.; Keenan, Michael, ed.; Mbuthia, Juneweenex, ed.; and Njuki, Jemimah, ed. 2023. Food systems transformation in Kenya: Lessons from the past and policy options for the future. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/9780896294561

About the Editors:

Clemens Breisinger is Program Leader for the Kenya Strategy Support Program and a Senior Research Fellow in the Development Strategies and Governance Unit, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). Michael Keenan is Associate Research Fellow and Juneweenex Mbuthia is a Research Officer in the Development Strategies and Governance Unit, IFPRI. Jemimah Njuki is Chief, Economic Empowerment, UN Women and former Director for Africa, IFPRI.

***

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition. IFPRI’s strategic research aims to identify and analyze alternative international and country-led strategies and policies for meeting food and nutrition needs in low- and middle-income countries, with particular emphasis on poor and vulnerable groups in those countries, gender equity, and sustainability. It is a research center of CGIAR, a worldwide partnership engaged in agricultural research for development. www.ifpri.org 

Media inquiries: Evgeniya Anisimova, e.anisimova@cgiar.org, +1 (202) 627 4394

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DOI

10.2499/9780896294561 

Kenyans urge King Charles III to formally apologize for colonial-era abuses
2023/10/30
King Charles III speaks to guests, during a reception at Buckingham Palace for overseas guests attending his coronation, on Friday, May 5, 2023, in London. - Jacob King/WPA Pool/Getty Images North America/TNS

King Charles III didn’t receive the warmest of welcomes when he arrived in Kenya for a four-day state visit on Monday.

Calls are growing for the British monarch to make a heartfelt apology for colonial era abuses as he and Queen Camilla tour the east African country.

The tour is the first to a Commonwealth country since he succeeded his late mother, Queen Elizabeth, who died in September after a seven-decade reign.

Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles would “acknowledge the more painful aspects of the U.K. and Kenya’s shared history,” which includes the bloody Mau Mau rebellion of the 1950s.

He planned to dedicate some of the time to “deepen his understanding of the wrongs suffered in this period by the people of Kenya,” according to the palace statement.

Though Britain has given around $25 million in compensation in 2013 to Kenya, it still has not apologized for “the torture and other forms of ill-treatment at the hands of the colonial administration” — as then-Foreign Secretary William Hague stated. “The British government sincerely regrets that these abuses took place and that they marred Kenya’s progress to independence. Torture and ill-treatment are abhorrent violations of human dignity which we unreservedly condemn.”

Regarded as one of the most significant steps towards Kenya gaining freedom from British rule, armed Mau Mau groups revolted against European settlers in the 1950s. Colonial authorities imposed a state of emergency in response leaving about 10,000 people — mainly from the Kikuyu tribe— dead during the crackdown.

Some Kenyans have been outspoken in urging King Charles to go one step further and say sorry in a more formal way.

“Firstly, King Charles III, you need to stop choking on those two words, ‘I apologize.’ Just cough them up,” Harvard University professor and author Caroline Elkins wrote in an opinion piece for The Guardian on Sunday.

“They will probably trigger all sorts of liability issues for you and your government, but at last count, the monarchy is worth over £20 billion, so you could give several quid – some of which were stolen from or earned on the backs of colonized people – to the British taxpayer to cover this.”

Evelyn Wanjugu Kimathi, whose father was one of the leaders of the Mau Mau uprising, said there was hope that King Charles would bring “a national apology.”

“Once we have the goodwill from the U.K. government, everything else will be OK,” she told Agence France-Presse in early October.

On Monday, Kenyans gathered on Mau Mau road holding signs that read “Down with colonization, down” and “Return back our historical grabbed land.”

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The Mau Mau Rebellion | African Studies Center (bu.edu)

Britannica.com

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mau-Mau

Mau Mau | Kenya, Colonialism, Rebellion | Britannica 

4 days ago ... Mau Mau, militant African nationalist movement that originated in the 1950s among the Kikuyu people of Kenya. The Mau Mau (origin of the ...

Blackhistorymonth.org.uk

https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/african-history/the-mau-mau-movement

The Mau Mau movement - Black History Month 2023 

Mar 11, 2023 ... The Mau Mau rebellion was a response to decades of British colonialism and the land grabbing policies that were pursued by British settlers ...

Bbc.com

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-12997138

Mau Mau uprising: Bloody history of Kenya conflict - BBC New... 

Apr 7, 2011 ... The uprising is now regarded in Kenya as one of the most significant steps towards a Kenya free from British rule. The Mau Mau fighters were ...

Thecollector.com

https://www.thecollector.com/mau-mau-rebellion

The Mau Mau Rebellion: Anticolonial Upheaval in Kenya 

Jul 10, 2023 ... ... Mau Rebellion gripped the British colony in a violent wave of anti-colonial sentiment.

Theguardian.com

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/aug/18/uncovering-truth-british-empire-caroline-elkins-mau-mau

Uncovering the brutal truth about the British empire - The G... 

Aug 18, 2016 ... Colonial authorities portrayed Mau Mau as a descent into savagery, turning its fighters into “the face of international terrorism in the 1950s”, ...

Sahistory.org.za

https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/mau-mau-uprising

The Mau Mau Uprising | South African History Online 

May 18, 2018 ... The Mau Mau uprising began in 1952 as a reaction to inequalities and injustices in British-controlled Kenya. The response of the colonial ...

Britain's King Charles visits Kenya with colonialism's scars in focus
2023/10/31


By Duncan Miriri

NAIROBI (Reuters) -Britain's tarnished colonial past took centre stage in Kenya on Tuesday as King Charles began a four-day state visit, poised to acknowledge "painful aspects" of the countries' long shared history as local leaders press demands for reparations.

Accompanied by Queen Camilla on his first visit as monarch to a former colony, Charles arrived in the capital Nairobi overnight.

On a rainy morning, he was welcomed to the Presidential Palace by a 21-gun salute and a guard of honour and, accompanied by President William Ruto, planted trees in the palace grounds. The royal couple then laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Uhuru Gardens, where Kenyan declared independence in December 1963.

Charles' visit comes at a time when former colonies are demanding that Britain do more to recognise the abuses of its colonial past. Some - notably Barbados and Jamaica - have been re-evaluating their ties to the monarchy.

While still heir to the throne, Charles surprised many at last year's summit of the Commonwealth - a voluntary association of countries that evolved from the British Empire - by acknowledging slavery's role in the organisation's roots.

Many citizens of former British colonies - including leaders of Kenya's Nandi people - want Charles to go further by directly apologising and endorsing reparations for colonial-era abuses, including torture, killings and widespread expropriation of land, much of which remains in British hands.

Buckingham Palace said the visit would "acknowledge the more painful aspects of the UK and Kenya's shared history, including the Emergency (1952-1960). His Majesty will take time ... to deepen his understanding of the wrongs suffered in this period by the people of Kenya."

'AFTER APOLOGIES... REPARATION'

During the 1952-1960 Mau Mau revolt in central Kenya, some 90,000 Kenyans were killed or maimed and 160,000 detained, the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) has estimated.

The UK government has previously expressed regret for those abuses and agreed a 20 million pound ($24 million) settlement in 2013.

Nandi King Koitalel Arap Samoei led a decade-long rebellion until he was assassinated by a British colonel in 1905. In the ensuing years, the British confiscated most of his people's land and cattle.

Samoei's great-grandson Kipchoge araap Chomu credited the British with contributions to Kenya like education and public health systems but said historical injustices must be remedied.

"We have to demand public apology from the government of the British...," he told Reuters. "After apologies, we also expect a reparation."

Charles also plans to meet entrepreneurs from Kenya's bustling tech scene, tour wildlife facilities and travel to the southeastern port city of Mombasa.

($1 = 0.8226 pounds)

(Additional reporting by Aaron Ross and Hereward Holland; Writing by Hereward Holland; Editing by Aaron Ross, Michael Perry and John Stonestreet)









© Reuters

Reuters UK

Ethiopia's war triggers fears in Kenya, South Sudan

As the yearlong civil war in Ethiopia's Tigray region escalates, Kenya and South Sudan are on high alert.

Ethiopia's federal forces, pictured here, have been battling Tigrayan fighters since November 2020

Kenya's government has announced the tightening of security along its 800-kilometer (500-mile) northern border with Ethiopia.

Police have also set up additional roadblocks to monitor the movement of firearms and foreigners who may try to enter Kenya illegally.

Local communities and the government fear an influx of Ethiopian refugees, as the war raging in the country's northern Tigray region spills into other areas of Ethiopia and Tigrayan fighters and their allies advance on the capital, Addis Ababa.

Northern Kenya is already home to the refugee camps of Kakuma in the northwest and Dadaab in the northeast. They are among the world's largest refugee settlements.

For the past few years, Kenyan officials have been pushing hard to have the camps completely closed by mid-2022 — a plan that could be scuttled by new refugees from Ethiopia.

Kenya's police service has already cautioned citizens to report cases of undocumented persons and unprocessed immigrants in the country.

Most Ethiopian refugees so far have fled north over the border to Sudan but Kenya fears that may change

Northern Kenya already under stress

"There is a likelihood [of] hundreds of thousands, if not millions of refugees, flocking into Kenya," the director of the Nairobi-based Institute for Strategic Studies, Hassan Khannenje, told DW.

This will "impose heavy costs on Kenya," he said, adding it could trigger a humanitarian situation that Kenya isn't prepared for.

The large numbers of refugees in northern Kenya have stressed local resources in the region, and are fueling tensions with local communities.

Two million people are currently facing food insecurity in Kenya's north, where the United Nations has described the situation as "particularly drastic" because of poor rainfall.

Trade between the two countries has also fallen because of the Tigray conflict, according to Kenyan authorities. Earlier this year, Kenya and Ethiopia set up the Moyale Ones Stop Border Post, a free trade area to make cross-border business dealings easier.

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta appealed last week for a stop to the war between the forces of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and fighters from the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

"The men and women of the government of Ethiopia, led by my dear brother in leadership, Abiy Ahmed, as well as the men and women who constitute the leadership that is fighting the government must find reason to cease the conflict immediately and talk," Kenyatta said in a statement released last Wednesday.
South Sudan's peace deal at risk

The conflict in Ethiopia seems to have indirectly weakened the implementation of a peace deal in neighboring South Sudan.

Ethiopia, in recent years, has played a mediating role between the rival factions of President Salva Kiir and the former opposition leader Riek Machar.

South Sudan's two main peace deals, signed in 2015 and 2018, were both negotiated in Ethiopia.

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir holds a copy of a signed peace agreement

In addition, the international community is diverting more time and energy on Ethiopia, says political analyst Boboya James from the Juba-based Institute for Social Policy and Research.

"Traditionally the international community used to urge the government of South Sudan to fully implement the peace agreement, but now it appears their attention has been diverted to resolving the conflict in Ethiopia," James told DW.

"You can see the Americans now spending a lot of time in asking the two factions in Ethiopia to dialogue and bring about peace."

He fears that South Sudan's peace process could become more elusive as Ethiopia's war drags on.

Uncertainty for South Sudanese in Ethiopia

Hundreds of thousands of people fleeing South Sudan's war have taken refuge in Ethiopia's Gambela region on Sudan's western border with Ethiopia.

The communities living on both sides of the border have great cultural affinity and there is a brisk flow of goods across the border there, mainly from Ethiopia into South Sudan.

"The majority of South Sudanese on the border get food from Ethiopia," James said.

So if Ethiopia's war continues, it will "definitely bring economic destabilization to the border between South Sudan and Ethiopia," he said.

Diplomatic efforts

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has called an extraordinary summit of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, known as IGAD, in Kampala on November 16.

Ethiopia is a member of the eight-member bloc which also includes Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia and Djibouti.

IGAD, which helped broker South Sudan's peace deal, is hoping for a similar role in Ethiopia.

Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts are ongoing to try to resolve the war in Ethiopia.

US and African Union envoys have been holding urgent talks in Ethiopia in search of a cease-fire.

The UN Undersecretary for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, visited the Tigray region on Sunday, using the occasion to plead for greater access for aid to civilians.

The UN is warning that some 7 million people in Ethiopia, including 5 million in Tigray, are facing famine-like conditions because of the war.

 

Kenya’s Ambitious Renewable Energy Revolution

By Felicity Bradstock - Feb 10, 2024

• Kenya targets 100 percent clean energy by 2030, backed by a $70 million investment from the Climate Investment Funds.
• 
  
• The country's renewable energy sector, primarily geothermal and hydro sources, faces challenges in meeting peak demand and grid stability.
• 
  
• With expert support and funding, Kenya anticipates becoming a global leader in renewable energy, setting a precedent for other nations.
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Kenya aims to transition to 100 percent clean energy by the end of the decade, under one of the world’s most ambitious climate pledges to date. It is being supported – alongside several other countries, by funding from several development banks under a scheme that is expected to support the advancement of a global green transition. As several economically developed countries invest in the shift from fossil fuels to renewable alternatives and decarbonize their economies, greater funding will be required to ensure that the green transition is taking place on a global rather than just a local level. 

The Climate Investment Funds (CIF) will finance a $70 million plan to advance Kenya’s renewable energy capacity in support of a green transition, with an initial payment of $46.39 million. The CIF was established in 2008 as a multilateral climate fund to finance pilot projects in developing countries at the request of the G8 and G20. It expects the financing from its Renewable Energy Integration (REI) investment program to contribute to a reduction in Kenya’s greenhouse gas emissions by 32 percent by 2030 and to help the country achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Most of the funds will come in the form of a loan, with $5 million in the form of a grant.  

The CIF investment is expected to spur high levels of additional investment in the green energy sector, with a further $243 million from the public and private sectors expected from implementation partners, including the African Development Bank and the World Bank Group. 

At present, nearly 90 percent of Kenya’s energy comes from renewable resources, with 45 percent coming from geothermal sources and 26 percent from hydropower. However, Kenya’s renewable energy sector faces significant challenges and is still often unable to meet peak demand. Its energy sources do not provide a steady flow of energy, meaning that alternative options must be added to the grid and the country’s battery capacity must be increased, to ensure the growing energy demand is met and excess energy produced outside of peak hours is not lost. 

Although a large proportion of Kenya’s power comes from renewable sources, it currently experiences regular blackouts due to the unstable state of its existing grid system. According to Kenya’s National Bureau of Statistics, it imported 706.9 kWh of electricity from neighboring Ethiopia and Uganda in the first 11 months of 2023, a significant increase from 288.27 kWh in the same period of 2022. 

Expert support from the CIF is expected to help Kenya tackle these challenges and develop its renewable energy, to achieve 100 percent clean energy generation by 2030. The move will help attract investment in innovative storage technologies, such as battery storage and pumped hydropower, to combat the challenge of stable power delivery. It will also see the addition of alternative renewable energy production, such as solar and wind power, which will see an increase of 30 percent and 19 percent respectively by 2030. 

Kenya is one of ten countries to receive funding under the CIF’s REI program, alongside Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Fiji, and Mali. Funding from the CIF is expected to support the green transition of these countries, in support of a global green transition. While several Western countries are investing in the deployment of renewable energy operations, many developing countries cannot afford to do the same without funding from donors and richer countries. Investing in the developing world’s green energy capacity will support the global green transition needed to tackle climate change. 

Anthony Nyong, the Director for Climate Change and Green Growth at the African Development Bank stated, “We are excited to welcome the endorsement of the REI Investment Plan for Kenya, a transformative step towards a sustainable energy future.” He added, “This comprehensive plan represents a strategic blueprint for integrating renewable energy into?the country’s energy landscape. It reflects our collective commitment to fostering innovation, reducing carbon emissions, and creating a resilient energy infrastructure. We?look forward to actively participating in the implementation of this plan, working?hand in hand with all stakeholders.”

Kenya has significant renewable energy potential, as seen through the recent development of its already strong green energy sector. It is home to vast geothermal resources, coming from the African rift, which runs underground. The Somalian and Nubian tectonic plates moved in opposite directions around 25 million years ago, making the surface between two fault lines sink, and transporting magmatic fluids closer to Earth’s surface to create the rift. The valley stretches over 6,400km from Jordan to Mozambique, providing the perfect conditions to generate geothermal energy. 

Peketsa Mangi, the general manager of geothermal development at KenGen, explains, “Kenya has developed the capacity for precision geoscientific studies that help us to identify potential areas to drill. Exploration and drilling are cost-intensive endeavours and investors don’t want to go to a greenfield without confirmed viable resources.” The oil crisis experienced in the 1970s accelerated the deployment of geothermal resources across the country, providing a blueprint for other countries on the rift to follow. 

An abundance of renewable energy sources has already allowed Kenya to develop its green energy sector substantially. Funding from the CIF is expected to help the East African country to achieve 100 percent clean energy by the end of the decade and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. This will put it far ahead of many other countries striving to achieve a green transition and could provide the blueprint for neighboring countries to follow.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com