With 24 hours before the elections in Kenya, the specter of post-election violence persists. In 2017, 104 people were killed by law enforcement or armed gangs according to the NGO Human Rights Watch. The ballot had been strongly contested, in particular by Raila Odinga. The Supreme Court had canceled the election and a new vote had been organized, boycotted by the opposition. In Kisumu, Odinga’s stronghold in western Kenya, his supporters took to the streets to protest, coming face to face with the police. Many have suffered from violence. Among the survivors, the approach of a new election brings up painful memories.
With our special correspondent in Kisumu, Albane Thirouard
Emma can hardly hold back her tears. Telling his story is painful. The young woman was raped by five men during the 2017 elections. They broke into her apartment in Nyalenda, an informal neighborhood in Kisumu.
The approach of a new election frightens him. ” I don’t know how it will turn out. My children are here with me because I cannot afford to send them to their grandparents. The prospect of the same scenario happening again frightens me. Fear for me but also for my children. I have daughters. I’m afraid they’ll come and do the same to them. »
In his building, several of them have been raped. This year, they are getting organized. “We decided that we were going to stay together in the same apartment. That way, if they come back, we have a better chance of being able to defend ourselves. »
Emma isn’t the only one terrorized in the neighborhood. Let it be Lydia, whose two-year-old daughter was shot in the shoulder. Or Simon who was beaten up at home. Residents fear the election. Boniface Ogutu Akach campaigns to break these cycles of violence. The current situation worries him already.
” If Raila loses, there is a real risk of violence. There were tensions throughout the campaign with numerous instances of violence, including clashes between criminal gangs. Politicians also try to recruit gangs. »
The activist is also fighting for justice… the victims of 2017 are still waiting.