Tension has turned to celebration in most places hit by post election violence in Kenya, following the brokering of a political deal (on 28 February) between President Mwai Kibaki and his main political rival the Hon. Raila Odinga.

The deal saw the re-creation of the position of Prime Minister, scrapped by the first president of Kenya two years after independence in 1964; it will be taken to parliament for enactment and for any necessary amendments to the constitution.

The agreement allows the position of Prime Minister to go to the leader with the largest party in parliament, in this case Raila Odinga.

Shem Ochola, ActionAid Kenya policy officer welcomed the move but also cautioned that the results of the agreement only addressed the immediate political crisis following the disputed presidential election results:

"Reforms should also address inequalities of resource distribution including land, youth unemployment and encourage the setting up of a truth and reconciliation commission" he said.

ActionAid's work in Kenya
Post election related violence in Kenya killed over 1000 people and displaced over 300,000 people. The violence, the worst in Kenya’s history, has also polarised communities. It has resulted in a loss of trust amongst different tribes and communities and ignited hatred.

ActionAid responded quickly to the violence. Working through partner organisations and other community organisations, we supported activities to provide humanitarian assistance as well as peace building efforts.

In addition to this, we also initiated dialogue amongst youth in the North Eastern provinces to ensure that violence doesn’t spread there.

Ongoing work
• Humanitarian support for Internally displaced people (IDP)
• Support for ongoing village dialogues on conflict issues
• Supporting dialogue among the youth.
• Peace building and tolerance talks amongst school children
• Psychosocial care and support for children
• Supporting women’s networks in psycho-social support and business
• Support for public health and sanitation work in relief camps
• Advocacy on conflict sensitive development
• Participation in UN cluster meetings
• Participation in civil society initiatives
• Documentation of women’s voices from affected communities

photo : İREUTERS/Mike Hutchings/courtesy of www.alertnet.org