Meeting John Githongo
Week 2: On Wednesday, I interviewed Kenyan peace activist and government whistle-blower, John Githongo. I first learned about John’s important contributions to Kenyan politics and civic dialogue from Michela Wrong’s book, It’s Our Turn to Eat: The Story of a Kenyan Whistle-Blower. After working as a journalist and as Executive Director of Transparency International – Kenya, John joined the inner circle of Kenya’s government from 2003 to 2005. Prior to the 2007 elections, he spoke out against the corruption he found during his time as Permanent Secretary in the Office of the President. After leaving the government, John co-founded Inuka Kenya Trust, Sisi ni Amani’s partner for the Sauti Yetu Debates. We’ve been following this project for Peace in Our Pockets since May.
I will be transcribing the entire interview in the coming week, but several of his comments have stuck with me:
- Pre-election violence has already started in Kenya with over 500 Kenyans killed since January 2012.
- Several well-respected researchers have stated that the level of ethnic polarization is worse now than it was in 2007.
- 78% of the Kenyan population is below the age of 34 years old. This youth bulge offers opportunities for positive change if enough people of goodwill engage youth in positive ways. If mishandled, this youth population can, once again, be used by politicians to incite and perpetuate violence across the country.
- Changing the political dialogue from leaders talking down to citizens to constituents questioning their leaders is a simple yet very significant change for Kenyans
- Sisi ni Amani and hundreds of other NGOs are using mobile technologies to promote peace, challenging the ways cell phone messaging was used to incite violence and disseminate hate speech in 2007.
John is one of Kenya’s most respected activists and promoters of peace and democracy; it was an honor to spend some time with him.
Visiting the Narok Chapter Team
On Thursday I traveled with Jackie and Caleb from Nairobi to meet with members of the Sisi ni Amani Narok Chapter. Narok County is located in the Rift Valley and has seen the rise of ethnic tensions in recent months as long-simmering tensions over land issues and property rights bubble to the surface. Sitting in on a staff meeting, I learned that Sisi ni Amani plans to expand their SMS (text messaging) subscription work in Narok County, with a goal of signing up several thousand new subscribers to their SMS platform before the end of the year. At Jackie’s request, the local Coordinators selected from a list of locations to target this work; in the coming weeks Coordinators will recruit volunteers to work in their communities, expanding Sisi ni Amani’s network of supporters and subscribers.
My visit to Narok was very productive and included a chance to share our Peace in Our Pockets trailer with the local staff. I’m looking forward to spending time with this diverse group of peace-builders and learning more about the challenges and successes of their work in this region of Kenya.
On this trip I’ve had some opportunities to explore Kenya a bit more outside of my time spent filming. Among other diversions, I’ve visited the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage and the Giraffe Center, and hiked in Hells Gate National Park. This coming week, I’ll be meeting and filming Sisi ni Amani’s Nairobi Coordinators in their homes, workplaces, and neighborhoods.