Kenya: Ethnic clashes involving Kikuyus in the Rimuruti Division of Laikipia West, which started on 6 January 2000; whether instigated by the government; length of clashes; treatment of Kikuyu residents by government authorities
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 February 2001 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | KEN36070.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Kenya: Ethnic clashes involving Kikuyus in the Rimuruti Division of Laikipia West, which started on 6 January 2000; whether instigated by the government; length of clashes; treatment of Kikuyu residents by government authorities, 1 February 2001, KEN36070.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4be5120.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Reference to ethnic clashes involving Kikuyus in Laikipia West, Rumuruti division specifically on 6 January 2000 could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, at the end of January 2000, The Daily Nation reported a "security crisis" in Laikipia district resulting in "unexplained killings in the district" (30 Jan. 2000). This source states that Pokot and Samburu pastoralists had invaded people's farms and driven the latter out. Ultimatums issued by the District Commissioner for the pastoralists to vacate the farms had been ignored and the perpetrators were still at large (ibid.). Opposition politicians including the Democratic Party (DP) member of parliament for Laikipia East, Mwangi Kiunjuri, reportedly blamed the unrest on the government. However,
When President Moi visited the area (Rumuruti, which is the worst affected division), he attributed the breakdown of law and order to "highway robbers." Those at the receiving end of the violence do not think much of this explanation. Many in fact consider it an insult (ibid.).
The East African of 24 January states that although the Laikipia district is multi- ethnic, the killers only target the Kikuyu. It adds that "Mwangi Kiunjuri and other politicians from the area allege the killings are the work of a private army assembled by certain top Kanu leaders to ethnically cleanse the district of opposition-minded Kikuyu" (ibid.).
According to Africa Research Bulletin, a Kenyan newspaper, The Daily Nation accused the government of sidelining the Kikuyu community and engaging "in a hate campaign that might lead to genocide" (Feb. 2000). ARB reports ethnic clashes in Laikipia and a part of Nyandarua that resulted in the death of at least "40 members of one tribe ... in quite a macabre fashion" (ibid.).
The Centre for International Development and Conflict Management (CIDCM) in Washington, DC, states that "the Kikuyu are strongly in opposition to Moi," and that "during President Moi's rule, the Kikuyu have been the primary targets of ethnic violence" (CIDCM Oct. 1999).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural Series [Oxford]. February 2000. "Kenya: Ethnic Clashes?"
Centre for International Development and Conflict Management (CIDCM). "Kikuyu, Kiisi, Luhya, and Luo in Kenya."
The East African [Nairobi]. Gitau Warigi. "Will 2000 See a New Cycle of Violence in Kenya."
The Nation [Nairobi]. 30 January 2000. Gitau Warigi. "Laikipia: Why are Killers Still at Large?" (Africa News/NEXIS)