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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NAIROBI 002721 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O.12958: N /A 
TAGS: PGOV KCRM ASEC PHUM SENV KE ET
 
SUBJECT: PROMOTING PEACE IN KENYA'S UPPER EASTERN PROVINCE 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. Kenya's remote upper Eastern Province is caught in a 
cycle of violence driven by competition over scarce 
resources and characterized by inter-tribal revenge 
killings and livestock raiding.  Local politicians have a 
history of quietly supporting these activities, which has 
made grassroots efforts to halt the cycle of violence 
extremely difficult.  During a recent trip to the region, 
the Ambassador attempted to enlist the support of a cabinet 
minister and three local members of parliament to speak out 
in support of peace.  While only two of the four 
politicians were ready to denounce violence publicly, the 
rumors and media attention surrounding the Ambassador's 
trip may have disrupted a planned revenge attack against 
the Rendille community.  We will continue our efforts to 
bring attention to the problems facing this often-forgotten 
region and encourage local leaders to promote peace.  End 
Summary. 
 
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Politics Drive Clashes 
---------------------- 
 
¶2. Marsabit District, which lies between Lake Turkana and 
Moyale District along the Ethiopian border in Kenya's arid 
and remote upper Eastern Province, has always been a 
difficult place to live; however, the area is now 
experiencing a time of particular hardship: increased human 
and livestock populations are placing intense pressure on 
the area's arid landscape, while droughts are becoming 
longer and more frequent.  More immediately, cycles of 
livestock raiding and corresponding revenge attacks among 
the different clans are, by some accounts, becoming worse 
and increasingly politicized. 
 
¶3. The Government's failure to provide a robust security 
presence to deter attacks and punish those responsible 
compounds the problem.  Because the media are also a scarce 
resource in the remote region, few in Nairobi are aware of 
just how serious the situation has become.  PolOff and 
PolFSN recently traveled to Marsabit to gain a greater 
understanding of the environment and lay the groundwork for 
a visit by the Ambassador. 
 
¶4. The greater Marsabit region is large and sparsely 
populated: approximately 143,000 people live in a 41,000 
square mile area.  (Note: The district is bigger than 
Kentucky and slightly smaller than Tennessee.  End Note.) 
Like many other regions in Kenya, Marsabit residents divide 
themselves along clear tribal lines and view one another 
through the lens of tribal alliances or enmities.  Major 
tribes involved in the cycle of livestock raiding and 
violence include the Borana, Rendille, and Gabbra (all 
Cushitic tribes).  The Samburu and Turkana, both Nilotic 
tribes, live primarily in neighboring districts of Samburu, 
Turkana and Isiolo, but are also involved in the cycle of 
violence.  The Borana maintain close political and cultural 
ties with their kin in southern Ethiopia, dominate the town 
of Marsabit, the district's administrative headquarters, 
and far outnumber the neighboring Gabbra and Rendille 
tribes.  The Borana tribe's current enemy number one are 
the Rendille (who are allied with the Samburu), although 
there is still Borana/Gabbra tension years after the 2005 
Turbi massacre.  (Note: In July 2005, a Borana revenge 
attack in Turbi left approximately 60 Gabbra dead, 22 of 
them children.  End Note.)  The Gabbra, who inhabit the 
Chalbi Desert, are sandwiched between three hostile tribes: 
Borana to the east, Rendille to the south, and Turkana to 
the west.  The Marsabit District Commissioner has estimated 
that, in addition to massive livestock losses, 
approximately 60 people have been killed in 2008, and 11 
reportedly have been killed since August alone. 
 
¶5. Livestock raids by young warriors from the various 
tribes form the basis of the conflict.  Revenge attacks are 
the norm after livestock raids and are a matter of pride 
among the tribes.  Women sing victory songs for young 
warriors returning from a raid or revenge attack.  However, 
the communal nature of the conflict means that non-warriors 
often bear the brunt of revenge attacks.  Women gathering 
firewood and children herding livestock have been killed to 
avenge raids committed by fellow clan members.  Elders who 
 
NAIROBI 00002721  002 OF 003 
 
 
have attempted to halt the cycle and hold individuals of 
their own clan accountable for raids or revenge attacks 
have themselves been attacked by their own clan members. 
Nevertheless, interlocutors from all sides expressed to 
PolOff that the cycle of violence is getting out of 
control. 
 
¶6. Kenyan politics have always been tribal, and local 
members of parliament (MPs) are expected to represent their 
own tribe's interests.  In this sense, many view their area 
MPs as both the problem and the solution.  During the trip, 
PolOff was told time and again that politicians were 
responsible for continuing the cycle of violence by 
providing financial and logistical support to livestock 
raiders.  While the truth of this statement may vary 
according to the politician, it is certainly true that the 
MPs of Marsabit District have failed to provide strong 
leadership to stop the cycle of violence. 
 
¶7. The last real attempt on the part of MPs to support 
peace ended in tragedy.  In April 2006, the plane carrying 
two assistant ministers, four MPs, and 11 others crashed on 
a hill in Marsabit town, killing all but three of the 
passengers.  The politicians had been on their way to 
Marsabit to participate in a peace conference aimed at 
quelling inter-tribal violence. 
 
¶8. The MPs who replaced those killed in the crash failed to 
re-ignite any initiatives toward peace, and the December 
2007 elections put two of the three Marsabit MPs back in 
office.  To cater for different ethnic interests, the larger 
Marsabit district has been divided into three smaller 
districts, which each has its own member of parliament, 
representing the Borana, Rendille, and Gabbra communities. 
Hussein Sasura, a Borana representing Saku District, was 
elected to replace his brother who was killed in the plane 
crash and was re-elected in 2007.  Joseph Lekuton, a former 
teacher in Virginia who received his bachelor's degree from 
St. Lawrence University and holds a master's degree from 
Harvard, was elected in 2006 to represent the primarily 
Rendille Laisamis District, and was re-elected in 2007. 
Francis Chachu, a Gabbra representing North Horr District, 
is a first-term parliamentarian.  Like Lekuton, Chachu 
received his undergraduate degree from St. Lawrence.  The 
NGO that Chachu founded and previously ran, the Pastoralist 
Integrated Support Program (PISP), was a finalist for the 
United Nations Development Program's Equator Prize in 2004. 
 
------------------------------------ 
Ambassador Enlists Support for Peace 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶9. In an attempt to re-engage politicians in the peace 
process, the Ambassador invited the three MPs from Marsabit 
District and the Minister for Northern Kenya and Other Arid 
Lands Mohammed Elmi (a former regional program manager for 
Oxfam and an ethnic Somali) to join him in Marsabit at a 
graduation ceremony for "Peace Ambassadors" (i.e., youth 
who play in inter-tribal soccer leagues and received 
training in conflict resolution).  The pitch: joint 
attendance at a peace event in Marsabit would provide the 
politicians with a platform to declare publicly their 
support for dialogue and reconciliation and an end to the 
cycle of attacks. 
 
¶10. After a flurry of phone calls, mixed messages, and 
changed plans, we learned that of the four invitees only 
Chachu and Elmi were ready to take us up on the offer. 
Sasura, who had initially confirmed and was already in 
Marsabit, mysteriously left town the day before the event, 
and was claiming that he was "sick" and unable to return to 
Marsabit on the day of the Peace Ambassadors' graduation. 
Lekuton called the Ambassador the morning of the event 
apologizing for not attending.  Sasura had threatened him, 
he said, and told him not to come.  We later learned of the 
rumor circulating around town that the Borana (represented 
by Sasura) were preparing a revenge attack against the 
Rendille (represented by Lekuton) but the Ambassador's trip 
to Marsabit disrupted it. 
 
¶11. Even though the Kenyan VIP participation was limited to 
Chachu and Elmi, the Peace Ambassadors' graduation event 
was a success.  The youth received much-deserved 
recognition in front of their peers and elders for their 
repudiation of violence.  Chachu and Elmi spoke powerfully 
 
NAIROBI 00002721  003 OF 003 
 
 
in support of dialogue, reconciliation, and the importance 
of working together to achieve the area's development 
goals.  The event was covered on national television, and 
both men committed themselves publicly to seeking a 
peaceful solution to the problems in Marsabit District. 
 
¶12. At the event the Ambassador spoke strongly on the need 
for the local MPs to demonstrate leadership for peace.  He 
assured the assembled local community that the United 
States will remain engaged in efforts to pursue peace. 
These remarks were warmly welcomed, with many lamenting 
that senior Kenyan government officials have not 
demonstrated the same level of commitment. 
 
¶13. The next day the Ambassador visited North Horr, a 
remote community six hours drive northwest of Marsabit, 
which has also been caught up in the cycle of violence. 
The Ambassador asked the district commissioner to accompany 
him.  The Ambassador held a town hall meeting for the 
7,700-resident town, emphasizing similar messages to those 
stated in Marsabit.  At the town hall meeting, residents 
grilled the district commissioner, confronting him that it 
was the first time he had visited.  The almost two-hour 
town hall meeting proved to be a very constructive exchange 
of views and provided insights into the nature of the 
ethnic conflicts.  The district commissioner followed up 
later the same afternoon by holding a meeting with the 
community elders focused on how to resolve the ethnic 
conflicts. 
 
¶14. The District Commissioner of Marsabit has also followed 
up on the Ambassador's visit by holding meetings with 
community leaders focused on resolving the ethnic 
conflicts.  It is important to note that, while ethnic 
conflicts in the area have been taking place for many 
decades, in recent years these conflicts have turned 
increasingly violent with the introduction of automatic 
weapons.  Many more people are being killed than in the 
past and there is substantially greater damage inflicted 
upon the various communities.  As a result, peace-making 
has taken on a much greater sense of urgency. 
 
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Bringing the Others on Board 
---------------------------- 
 
¶15. We are following up on the Ambassador's visit to push 
the MPs and senior Kenyan government officials to intensify 
efforts to end the violence ethnic clashes.  After 
returning from the visit, the Ambassador met with MP 
Lekuton, who pledged to work for peace.  We are seeking a 
meeting with MP Sasura.  Minister Elmi is also reaching out 
to the MPs.  Our objective is to encourage the three MPs to 
make a public statement committing themselves to work for 
peace in coordination with their ethnic communities and the 
government.  We are also looking for ways that we can 
provide concrete support for peace efforts, including but 
not limited to possible support for the Peace Ambassadors 
Program. That said, bringing the politicians together to 
achieve meaningful results will not be an easy process. 
RANNEBERGER