2008 Woodie Awards
Kenya crisis heats up in Eldoret, Indiana's first African sister city
Vicky Jordan
Issue date: 1/30/08 Section: College News
Since the Dec. 27 elections in Kenya, a heated debate between current leader Mwai Kibaki and oppositional rival Raila Odinga has left the country in unrest, uprooting more than 250,000 people in the nearby Northern Rift Valley.
At the onset of the Kenya presidential election, opinion polls showed oppositional rival Odinga to be in the lead. Three days later, the Kenyan Electoral Commission declared Kibaki the winner. Later that day, Kibaki was sworn into office.
Within the next few weeks, turmoil had broken out among the Kenyan people, producing several riots and protests. Although peace talks were held with South Africa's Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu and former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, neither Kibaki nor Odinga have yet to meet or speak about ending the crisis.
As of Jan. 14, the political unrest has resulted in the deaths of 612 people, according to officials. In the capital city Nairobi and nearby cities Kisumu and Eldoret, police retaliated against mobs of protesters by firing tear gas and bullets, resulting in the deaths of at least seven others. With seemingly no end to the crisis in Kenya, it has left many to wonder: What can we do?
A community forum on the Kenya crisis was held Friday night at the Christian Theological Seminary off of Michigan Road and West 42nd Street. Many members of the Kenyan community, IU Medical School and professors from IUPUI were in attendance.
Gilbert Nduru, from the department of geography at Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya and visiting professor at IUPUI started off the night reciting Kenya's National Anthem.
Kelly Campbell, a representative from Ambassadors for Children, gave a first-hand look on her recent trip to Kenya.
"As the elections were underway, we visited a children's home of 170 kids with three or four to a bed," Campbell said.
Stan Abell, the associate pastor of St. Luke's United Methodist Church, spoke about his involvement with Kenya.
At the onset of the Kenya presidential election, opinion polls showed oppositional rival Odinga to be in the lead. Three days later, the Kenyan Electoral Commission declared Kibaki the winner. Later that day, Kibaki was sworn into office.
Within the next few weeks, turmoil had broken out among the Kenyan people, producing several riots and protests. Although peace talks were held with South Africa's Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu and former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, neither Kibaki nor Odinga have yet to meet or speak about ending the crisis.
As of Jan. 14, the political unrest has resulted in the deaths of 612 people, according to officials. In the capital city Nairobi and nearby cities Kisumu and Eldoret, police retaliated against mobs of protesters by firing tear gas and bullets, resulting in the deaths of at least seven others. With seemingly no end to the crisis in Kenya, it has left many to wonder: What can we do?
A community forum on the Kenya crisis was held Friday night at the Christian Theological Seminary off of Michigan Road and West 42nd Street. Many members of the Kenyan community, IU Medical School and professors from IUPUI were in attendance.
Gilbert Nduru, from the department of geography at Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya and visiting professor at IUPUI started off the night reciting Kenya's National Anthem.
Kelly Campbell, a representative from Ambassadors for Children, gave a first-hand look on her recent trip to Kenya.
"As the elections were underway, we visited a children's home of 170 kids with three or four to a bed," Campbell said.
Stan Abell, the associate pastor of St. Luke's United Methodist Church, spoke about his involvement with Kenya.
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christiano kwena
posted 2/19/08 @ 2:50 AM EST
Am a 21yr old, Maseno University student, taking a undergraduate degree in Horticulture and IT.
My intrest is in market gardening, software, and community development. (Continued…)
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