Photo by Jason Joyce
Students discuss the situation in Kenya and how they can help those affected by the violence.
Counselors address
violence in Kenya
Those affected by the country’s turmoil are given a venue
to gather, discuss issues and show support
By Alyssa Guiliani, Staff Writer
For years, Kenya was thought to be one of Africa’s most economically stable, peaceful and democratic countries.
But a disputed presidential election on Dec. 27 sparked violence by tribal groups with long-standing grievances over political and property issues.
The situation has become so serious that North Lake College officials have established a support group for affected students.
More than 1,000 people have been killed in Kenya, and more than 600,000 families have been driven out of their homes. Some have taken refuge in other countries.
“The announcement of President Mwai Kibaki’s narrow victory over Raila Odinga after a vote count that foreign and local observers say was fl awed has pitted many of the country’s myriad ethnic groups against one another,” said Joanna Cattanach in a recent article in The Dallas Morning News.
Kofi Annan, former United Nations chief, has spent more than a month in Kenya mediating talks between the camps of Kibaki and opposition leader Odinga.
Launched by the African Union, Annan’s intervention is seen as one of Kenya’s few hopes for a political end to the bloodshed. Meanwhile, some Kenyans have been slaughtered by machete-wielding mobs or torched in churches. Others have been forced off their land under the threat of death.
Both Kibaki’s Party of National Unity and the Orange Democratic Movement, a parliamentary group, have deliberated proposals for a power-sharing agreement.
“Mr. Annan had hinted the deal would include comprehensive constitutional, judicial and electoral reforms… Both President Kibaki and Mr. Odinga are committed to the talks aimed at reconciling the nation,” said a recent story from BBC News.
“It is good that our national leaders are talking to one another,” Rev. Timothy Njoya, a retired Presbyterian clergyman, said in an article in the Daily Nation. “But it is the common people who perpetrated the violence, and those who bore its brunt should be talking to one another fi rst. Let the painful sacrifi ce of the people who have died in this confl ict not be for nothing. Let us now go forth and rebuild our country.”
This grisly violence in the African nation has touched close to home for some local families, students and faculty.
Avni Vyas, a North Lake counselor, was raised in Kenya, where her family continues to live. She calls her parents each day to make sure they are safe and have necessary resources.
“Even items such as milk and bread are a commodity for them now,” Vyas said. “Since Kenyans pride themselves on being such peace-loving people, this has been a huge image shift.”
According to officials of the International Student Center, 23 students from Kenya are enrolled at North Lake. Other Kenyan students were accepted for enrollment, but were unable to attend this semester because of the brutal conditions in their homeland. Most schools in Kenya have been shut down since December.
Collins Odendya, a sophomore at North Lake, is from Kenya, but has not been home in two years. He keeps an optimistic attitude and hopes to visit next year.
“I believe this will pass,” Odendya said. “These issues will be solved. We will move forward and reform our past image once again.”
Vyas has started a support group for Kenyan students, as well as those who are concerned about the violence and want to help. The counselor said anyone who wants to make a difference should come to the meetings.
For more information, contact Vyas at 972-273-3085. Individual counseling appointments may be made by calling extension 3333 or by visiting Room A430.