World Vision Sends Letter to Head of African Union
Urges Steps to Address the Humanitarian Crisis in Kenya

Africa Regional Office
Off Ngong Road, Karen Road
P.O. Box 133 -00502
Nairobi, Kenya

8th January 2008

HE President J.A. Kufuor
Chairperson of the African Union
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia

Your Excellency,

I greet you warmly at the outset of a new year, wishing you health and happiness in your personal life, and all the success in your preparations relating to the upcoming Summit of the African Union.

I write to you as the regional leader of World Vision in Africa, a non-governmental Christian humanitarian and advocacy organisation working in 26 African countries, including Kenya. World Vision has been shocked and saddened by recent events in Kenya linked to a governance crisis in that country. We write to urge the African Union to take immediate steps to further address the humanitarian crisis which has unfolded in that nation over the last two weeks. To date, more than 500 people have lost their lives, over 250,000 have been displaced and thousands injured. An estimated 500,000 people are directly affected by this crisis and require urgent humanitarian assistance. World Vision is among those humanitarian agencies working to assist them primarily through the distribution of required emergency supplies.

World Vision has noted and is encouraged by:

• The African Union Commission’s Communiqué of 31 December 2007 expressing its concern with the situation in Kenya and the Commission’s attachment to democratic principles particularly in relation to free, fair and transparent elections in conformity to the Declaration of the Union on the principles governing democratic elections in Africa, to which the nation of Kenya is a party.
• The African Union Commission’s stated availability to assist the leaders of Kenya to resolve the current crisis through dialogue and consultation.
• Recent calls by members of the International Community for the African Union to mediate in the crisis.
• The stated willingness by Kenya’s political leadership to engage in internationally mediated dialogue with each other.

We therefore call upon the African Union through its organs:

1. To act immediately to stop the violence and the resulting humanitarian crisis in Kenya by:
   • demanding that the concerned political leaders continue calling on their supporters to permanently halt all acts of violence, acts which contribute to tribal discrimination, hatred and violence and to restore and uphold peace.
   • calling on political leadership in Kenya to temper their rhetoric and avoid making inflammatory statements that will further undermine a rational analysis of the crisis.
   • calling on the Government of Kenya and its uniformed forces to act to protect civilians in a non-discriminative manner, and to allow the safe delivery of humanitarian to all those in need.
   • calling on the Government of Kenya to undertake effective legal actions against widespread law breaking, especially the murders, rapes and other violence committed against vulnerable communities and individuals.
      
2. To act immediately to bring the governance and political crisis in Kenya to an end and to prevent its further escalation by:
   • establishing a strong and credible mediation process to initiate urgent dialogue and consultation between the relevant political parties.
   • demanding that the Government of Kenya restores press freedom by immediately lifting the current ban on live broadcasts by the electronic media.
   • recognizing the efforts of other important parties to broker peace, and promoting closer collaboration between the African Union and these parties.
      
3. To provide leadership in the analysis of factors leading to the Kenyan crisis with a view to preventing similar governance crises from occurring elsewhere on the continent by:
   • pursuing a longer term initiative to address root causes of the division, instability and violence that have surfaced in Kenya, and which are contrary to the fair and democratic political system that Kenyans aspire to have.
   • calling on the Government of Kenya and other internal political actors, together with the African Union and other external regional bodies, to take concrete steps towards restoring public confidence in Kenya’s political system, accompanied by appropriate mechanisms and processes for national and ethnic reconciliation in Kenya
   • leading and/or informing any related mediation efforts by the international community so as to avoid the creation of a multiplicity of such efforts which can create confusion and deter progress towards a mediated solution to this crisis.
   • including the Kenyan crisis on the Agenda of the upcoming Session of the African Union Executive Council in Addis Ababa.

In the interests of Kenya and its people, I trust that you will use all of your influence and authority to see that this country is brought back to safety, security, peace, and wellbeing for all the children, women and men of Kenya.

Sincerely,

Professor Wilfred Mlay
Regional Vice President, Africa Region
World Vision International

cc: HE Alpha Oumar Konare, Chairperson – African Union Commission