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Community meetings address legacy of Kenya violence

“The people listen to one of their own,” Kiriro said. “They respect and are inspired by them. They are able to talk freely. Those invited don’t fear to venture into the slum, like many outsiders do, because they have grown up here.”

Peace, justice and retribution

Catherine, who has long since despaired of the Kenyan courts, sees benefits in the meetings that the criminal justice system has never provided to her.

“If they (the perpetrators) are locked up, will it bring my property back? Will it bring all those people who died?” Catherine said.

Others, however, take a different view. Some of those who have participated in meetings are dubious about the benefits.

Joyce, whose family home was burnt down in 2008, says that justice will only be done when those involved in the bloodshed are behind bars. She also wants the government to compensate her for the property she lost, so that her life can begin getting back to normal.

“We just want peace. That is the justice that we want.”

Not everyone agrees that the limited redress provided in these meetings is worth pursuing.
Maria, who lives in Mathare and lost her house in 2008, has not attended any of the sessions. She says she just wants to forget about the conflict.

“I chose to forget all that happened,” she said. “We just want peace. That is the justice that we want.”

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No ‘magic’ solutions

While many experts have welcomed the meetings, some, like Christopher Gitari of the International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), caution that they do not offer a “magic” solution for the post-election crimes.

“Some victims have probably, and remarkably, recovered while some are a pretty long way off, and many of your participants are in the middle,” he said. “In our experience, giving victims a chance to talk about their experience can be healing, while for some it just reminds them of a dark past which they would rather not be reminded of. For this latter group, it is likely that they are in denial and not ready to confront their past.”

Other observers say that while dialogue is useful, there also need to be formal prosecutions in order to uphold the rule of law and prevent future attacks in places like Mathare.

Njonjo Mue, a transitional justice expert in Nairobi, told IWPR that meetings like the ones in Mathare are not by themselves sufficient to deliver justice and thereby peace in the longer term.

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