UN Emergency Relief Coordinator surveys "tragedy" of damage and displacement in Western Kenya

(Nairobi/Geneva/New York, 9 February 2008): John Holmes, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, travelled today to the Northern Rift Valley in western Kenya to survey the humanitarian situation in the areas most severely affected by post-election violence, and to speak directly to the people who have been displaced by the fighting.

'It is a tragedy that people have been pushed out of their homes by brutal violence. For many, their homes and crops have been burned and they have been left with nothing. Now they want to go back, but their security is not ensured,' said John Holmes said while visiting the displacement camps.

Mr. Holmes first visited Nakuru in the Central Rift Valley, Kenya's fourth largest town and the main gateway to the western part of the country. In late January, machete-wielding gangs attacked residents, razed homes and looted and burned businesses. This forced many of Nakuru's inhabitants to seek refuge in camps that had been set up by aid agencies as safe havens for people fleeing the violence from neighboring districts.

While in Nakuru, Mr. Holmes visited two camps - Afraha Stadium and Nakuru Show Ground - which together host some 11,000 displaced people from the area. He met with the provincial commissioner and toured the camps with relief workers from the Kenyan Red Cross, United Nations agencies and NGOs who are assisting the displaced populations there. Mr. Holmes met with displaced families to listen to their concerns. 'I am impressed by the cooperative effort of the communities themselves, the Government, Red Cross, UN agencies and NGOs, who have come together to meet people's immediate needs. What we now need to consider are the next steps for helping them in the medium term,' he said.

Mr. Holmes also travelled to Molo, one of the most volatile districts in the Rift Valley and the site of more than 50 displacement camps, many of which are overcrowded and lack basic services. While in Molo, John Holmes visited two IDP settlements - one of them a Church - where hundreds of families have sought refuge. Responding to questions about the ethnic dimension of the violence, Mr. Holmes emphasised that humanitarian aid must be delivered impartially and wherever there is need. No community should be favoured over another.

'There has been an enormous effort to bring elders and members of the community together on both sides. There is a realisation that everybody loses in the end if this continues. Finding a solution is a long-term process but not impossible. It can be done,' said Mr. Holmes.

As many as 1,000 people have been killed and over 310,000 people have become internally displaced in the six weeks of violence following the announcement of the results of the disputed Presidential elections of 27 December. The Rift Valley, Nyanza and Western provinces as well as slum areas of Nairobi have been most affected by the unrest. In addition, some 12,000 Kenyans have fled to neighbouring Uganda. As international mediation efforts continue, the United Nations agencies and their humanitarian partners are working to provide immediate relief to almost a half a million people.

Mr. Holmes will conclude his mission on Sunday, 10 February when he is expected to visit Tigoni and the Karathimo displacement camp near the capital. He will meet with senior humanitarian officials, including Mr. Per Engebak,Regional Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and a delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Prior to his departure from Nairobi, Mr. Holmes will brief the press on the outcome of his mission.

For further information, please call: Christina Bennett, OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 8059, mobile +1 917 435 8617; Elisabeth Byrs, OCHA-Geneva, +41 22 917 2653, mobile, +41 79 473 4570; Jens Laerke, OCHA-ROCEA-Nairobi, +254 (20) 762 2119, mobile +254 (0)7 22 513 503. OCHA press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org or www.reliefweb.int.