[UgaBYTES] UCRC- Seeking Peace and Reconcialiation in Siaya District - Kenya (UPDATES)

[Damas Ogwe]

    From  UCRC-Information and Community Media
      Hi all, 
      The  Ugenya Constituency Peace and Reconciliation Leaders’ Forum which met  for the first time this week has already sprung into action. The forum  whose formation was initiated by Ugunja Community Resource Centre  (UCRC), (www.ugunja.org) has three  working committees namely Business and Security, Advocacy and  Reconciliation as well as relief and Social Welfare. UCRC is a  telecentres in western Kenya which presently also hosts  the national secretariat of Kenya Network of Telecentres (www.ken-tel.org) 
       
      A team of  religious leaders who spearhead the Relief and Social Welfare yesterday (Wednesday  9th  January 2008)visited Siaya District Police Headquarters where a total  of 147 internally displaced persons have been camping since the  election violence erupted in most Kenyan towns on December 30th.
       
      The  team distributed some foodstuffs purchased with contributions from  pastors and UCRC. The family of Rev. Chalton Ochola of Anglican Churh  in Kenya ,  Mudhiero deanery also provided some clothing. Essential medicines were also  purchased especially for the children.
       
      Rev. Ochola  and Bishop George Kadega of Cross Style Ministries also prayed with the victims  and shared the word of God. 
       
      The  displaced persons through their chairperson a Mr. Gitau expressed  gratitude for the gesture given that UCRC management and staff have  been visiting them even before the Ugenya initiative was born. He  caused laughter when he declined to bid the team farewell since, ‘

.I  want you to come back again.’
       
      Some  of the children at the police headquarters appealed to both president  Kibaki and Hon. Raila to sort out their issues very fast so that they  may go back to their normal lives. Most of them wanted to ‘go back to  school and to play with their friends’.
       
      They  do not really comprehend why they are in this camp and they do not  understand why a supposedly rigged election should isolate people from  a certain tribe. 
       
      The  team of religious leaders also paid a courtesy call to the Siaya  Agricultural Training Centre where the Alego leaders were also holding  a meeting facilitated by UCRC with the aim of coming up with a similar  initiative. A similar meeting is scheduled in Gem constituency tomorrow  to come up with strategies to enhance peace and peaceful co-existence.
       
      This  afternoon (Thursday January 10th, 2007), the Ugenya executive committee  met and also distributed foodstuffs to embers of St. Paul’s  Support group members who are living with HIV/AIDS. Most of the over  300 members of the support group are o ARVs and given the breakdown in  the transport system over the last week, have been finding it difficult  to access drugs and basic food communities.
       
      The  forum and UCRC are operating on a shoe string budget in this matter.  UCRC executive director, Aggrey Omondi said that, ‘our organization is  not a relief organization. However, we cannot sit back and watch all  this suffering and destruction. We will try our best to provide  essential commodities with support from friends and partners, but we  must remember that the repentance, forgiveness, healing and  reconciliation process is also important if life is to go back to  normalcy.’
       
      Once again  many thanks to you all for your prayers and support especially through this  mailing list.
       
      Damas Ogwe
      For: UCRC –  Information and Community Media
       
       

       
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