Unveiling Women as Pillars of Peace Peace Building in ...

Given this history, the ethnic clashes that erupted on the eve of Christmas in 1991 were not
entirely a surprise to communities of Western Kenya. They did not anticipate the dynamics and
character of the prolonged violence. Lasting for nearly two years, the intensity of brutality
involved, the scale and scope of areas affected, and their negative impacts on peoples’ livelihoods
were largely unforeseen. Taking place against the backdrop of increasing pressure to democratise,
these clashes were unlike any other before them. Groups were propelled principally by the
ideology of ethnic cleansing. Gross violations of human rights marked the clashes, with massive
destruction of property and deaths of people and valuable livestock. In addition, the clashes led
the displacement of nearly 5 percent of the total population of the then Bungoma District. 5
For the first time in the history of tensions and conflicts in this region, the people saw
government security forces as partisan. They accused them of accentuating rather than halting
conflicts. In the words of one interviewee:
Chiefs began to behave like KANU youth wingers. Political leaders
began to brand people with names. At that time, Elgon was divided
into only two groups, KANU and Mwakenya. 6 If you were Sabaot,
you were KANU. Everybody else was Mwakenya and had to go.
Leaders of Mt. Elgon declared their region a KANU zone, in line with the declaration of the entire
Rift Valley. In early December 1991, preparations for clashes were set in motion by the actions of
a District Officer who ordered the arrest of a woman accused of feeding violent youths. The arrest,
carried out in the early morning, angered Sabaots who interpreted it as special humiliation by
government officers seen as “colluding” with their enemies.
By the beginning of 1993, the trust that had governed peaceful coexistence among the
communities of Bungoma was completely shattered. On the one hand, Mt. Elgon and its Sabaot
population felt their very existence threatened by the hostile Luyha communities who had them
closed in on the East and the South. On the other hand, all “foreigners” had their property
destroyed or confiscated before being expelled from Mt. Elgon. The creation of ethnic exclusion
zones was a fait accompli, and the breakdown in peaceful coexistence came with it.
Responses to the Ethnic Clashes and Initial Challenges
The people were unprepared for the eruption of violence because they failed to
acknowledge the early warning signs. These included tension generated by the Katakwa issue and
the manipulation of ongoing political changes. People fleeing destruction and persecution in their
homes sought sanctuary in local churches and markets. The Catholic Church and the National
Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) were among the first to initiate assistance programmes
through their established networks and institutions. Church buildings, schools, and some
parishioners gave shelter to those fleeing the hostilities. Hospitals and dispensaries initially
provided free medical services. Perceiving displacement as temporary, provisional and shortterm
assistance focussed primarily on relieving material needs. Relief providers hoped that
violence would end so people could return to their homes within a short period. As conflict
became more protracted, the capacity of local structures was overwhelmed. In the words of Tecla
Wanjala, a pillar of peace in this monograph who was then the Development Co-ordinator with the
Catholic Church:
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