Report warns of violence risk in Kenya

Photo/FILE Armed youths at the height of the post-election violence in Nairobi in January 2008.

By NYAMBEGA GISESA engisesa@yahoo.com
Posted  Saturday, June 4 2011 at 20:48

A report released last month is sensationally warning that Kenya is among several countries in the world where mass violence is likely to occur in future unless preventive measures are put in place.

The report by the Sentinel Project, an initiative funded by Hollywood celebrities says there is an increased risk of mass violence in Kenya after studying the creative use of technology and cooperation with “threatened groups”.

The report identified “a total of 30 structural conditions” considered as increasing the risk when present in a country.

But the Sentinel Project, associated with American actor and film producer George Clooney, admits that making a prediction about mass violence in Kenya remains a difficult thing even when using the most complex and efficient approach.

This is because, as the report states, there are 30 political, social and economic risk factors identified as possible causes of violence in Kenya in the future.

Political indicators include low degree of democracy, state security agencies operating with few constraints, isolation from the international community, high level of military expenditure and frequent changes in political leadership.

The report says Kenya rarely complies with obligations to international institutions, noting that in August 2010, the government “refused to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is indicted by International Criminal Court over war crimes, but instead gave him a safe passage out of Kenya.

In December 2010, the government challenged admissibility of the trial of six Kenyans at The Hague.

And because of that Kenya is viewed as having a “negative influence to the African Union (AU)” after marshalling support from the AU.

The report further claims that the Kenya military still suffers from allegations of corruption and human rights abuses.

In the past decade, the military expenditure has risen by over $100 million (Sh850 million).