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Community meetings address legacy of Kenya violence

“As you speak, you remember what happened and you find yourself crying. You can’t stop it.”

“As you speak, you remember what happened and you find yourself crying. You can’t stop it,” Catherine told IWPR. “Talking about it helps. When you keep quiet, it will hurt you inside. After I talk about what I went through, I feel better.”

Individuals confess

The meetings also have an impact on those who committed abuses during the electoral violence. Individuals who, at the meetings, confessed to carrying out attacks would not agree to be interviewed for this article.

But Charles, a 30-year-old who lives in Mathare, says the meetings have helped friends of his who committed terrible crimes. He himself was displaced in the conflict and has attended similar meetings in the neighbouring areas of Huruma and Nyalgunga.

“I have seen my friends change because of these forums.”

Charles says that while his friends never talk in public about what they did, the meetings have allowed them to open up and have helped them reflect on the crimes they committed.

“I have seen my friends change because of these forums,” he told IWPR. “They say that they took part [in violence] but did not know what they were doing. The forums show them how to move forward with their lives. Some have successfully started their own businesses.”

Meetings offer ‘a sense of justice’

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Samuel Kiriro, one of the founders of the Ghetto Foundation, says he has seen the benefits of bringing together those who committed atrocities with their victims. The meetings do not lead to any type of punishment or retribution, but he believes they offer a sense of justice.

“They do not hold it in their hearts any more. This is where the justice is.”

“When someone sees the person who carried out the violence remorseful, they find it easier to forgive,” he said. “They see that they are not that horrible… It also helps the victims uncover the pain. They do not hold it in their hearts any more. This is where the justice is.”

The meetings are extremely sensitive and IWPR was not allowed to attend any of them. Sometimes the exchanges can become heated, but Kiriro says the organisers always plan the process very carefully to ensure that things remain calm.

One way of preventing things escalating has involved asking respected professionals such as doctors and engineers who grew up in the slums to lead the discussions.

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