12th May, 2008
13 Mar 2008 
Two weeks into a peace deal signed by feuding politicians in Kenya after weeks of politically and ethnic-instigated violence, AMREF talked to staff and clients at its Kibera Community Health Centre in the heart of the sprawling Kibera slum in Nairobi. They shared their thoughts, relieved memories of their experiences at the height of the bloodletting and told of hope in a new Kenya.
George Olali, Counsellor/ Patient Attendant and Kibera Resident
The chaos that swept through Kibera soon after the announcement of the disputed Presidential Election caught me unawares in my Soweto village home here in the slum. Supporters of the rival candidates were fighting - people were hacking others with machetes, others shooting arrows while shops were being looted and houses razed down. I quickly moved my family and valuables to safety in the neighbouring Highrise Estate while I remained behind to guard the house and other property.
In the most chaotic week, I could not access this clinic. Worse still, my appointment- I am living with HIV- to pick up Anti-Retroviral (ARV) drugs fell in the period and as fate would have it, I missed out on taking the daily dosage. Even then, the clinic had closed down owing to the crisis. I was in a dilemma as I remained hostage in my house. I could not venture out, for doing so would mean risking attack or death. Like many in the slum, I went hungry as the nearby food kiosks had no supplies or had been looted dry or burned down altogether. By not taking drugs and not eating well, I was exposing myself to infection for there was the danger of my immunity going down.
Things only brightened up when mediation talks started between President Kibaki and Orange Democratic Party leader Raila Odinga. The clinic eventually opened its doors and I made it to work as well as to replenish my ARV dosage. We, the Kibera community have received the news of the peace deal well.
Normalcy is slowly returning here, though there is still tension and fear whether the deal will hold. We are still apprehensive, fearing our neighbours may again turn against us. The clinic is experiencing renewed activity as people displaced by the raging conflict return. I am seeing more clients return to the ART clinic as those who defaulted in taking their ARVs or TB therapy are showing up.
Winfred Nzioka, Project Officer-Nursing Department
While I do work in the various areas - like the Ante-Natal Care, Maternity and the Family Planning Clinic, I also coordinate all the nursing activities in the centre. The chaos interrupted all our services and the numbers of patients just went down. The otherwise 24-hour service at the maternity had to be changed to a day only service. We referred mothers seeking services to either Pumwani or Lang’ata maternity. Some of the staff (nurses) could not return to work on time after the festive (December) season.
While the clinic operated, we had a difficult time tracing our clients within the slums. Some areas had become no-go zones, and the clients could not reach the health centre. Even our community health workers would not venture out of or into some of the villages in Kibera. However, AMREF was innovative enough and we launched outreach medical clinics to follow-up on the Kibera slum population. We organized clinics at Highrise Estate, at the Kibera DO Grounds and at Mashimoni village.
Following the peace mediation talks, there is a gradual return to peace in the vast slum. AMREF has played its part and has had its Community Health Workers preach peace and a group of youths engage in puppetry to promote peace across Kibera slums. Now, the sick are trickling back to the clinic. But there is fear still and some people are apprehensive. It will take some time before real peace returns. These include those who were displaced, were attacked by rivals or had their property looted. Others had houses burned or lost relatives to the violence. Personally, I have a soft spot for women and tales of gang rape at the height of the clashes still haunt me. This coupled with the fact that I had to accommodate some of the displaced from the Rift Valle Province has affected me psychologically. I need some counselling.
Lavenda Owino, Mother seeking service at the AMREF clinic
I live in Siranga village in Kibera slums, about 30 minutes-walk away. I brought my daughter Gloria for medication. She has had a bad cold, is coughing and has sores on parts of her body. She was born four months ago and before the “war”, I always brought her for clinical examinations here at AMREF. It is the same with her other 10-year old sister. You see, I have always liked this clinic for its good service. It is cheap seeking treatment here. I only pay Sh50 (US$0.8) for the child while we adults are charged only Sh100 (US$1.5). Drugs are available here for free. Personally, I have sought services at the Family Planning Clinic as well as the general outpatient section.
Sadly during the crisis that hit Kibera in January (2008), none of us from Siranga would dare venture to Laini Saba where the AMREF clinic is situated. Residents in the two villages viewed each other with suspicion and as political and ethnic rivals. For her (Gloria) clinics, I had to walk all the way to Kenyatta Market and skip the AMREF clinic appointments. That was very far compared to this place. Many people in my village were attacked and injured and we would not bring them here for fear of being attacked on the way. Some even died before we could get them emergency treatment.
But now, there is change as peace beckons. People are slowly rebuilding their shattered lives. Food is now available while prices are coming down. I am now ready to resume my vegetable business in the slum. Those who had fled Siranga and other areas are coming back. As regards our health needs, there is hope. We can now access the AMREF clinic and people are generally happy.
Caroline Manyasi, Mother to Reagan Alwanga
I am happy that since (President Mwai) Kibaki and (ODM leader) Raila signed the peace deal, we are witnessing signs of peace in Kibera. It is now possible to crisscross much of Kibera. When the fighting was on, the people from my village could only venture up to Shimo La Tewa area of the slum. Now we can come all the way to the AMREF clinic in Laini Saba. That is how I have made it to bring Reagan. He is suffering from a lack of appetite and running nose. I have only paid Sh50 (US$0.8) and been given (displaying) all these drugs. I hope he will get better soon.
At the height of the conflict, my mother fell sick and we had no otherwise but to take her to a health centre in Karanja. There I paid Sh100 (US$1.5) and spent another Sh350 (US$5.4) on drugs from their pharmacy. Yet they still advised me to go and buy another Sh300 (US$4.6) drug! This is too much money for me. If AMREF (clinic) was accessible, I would only have paid Sh100 (US$1.5) and got all the drugs free.
Besides, when you walk around Kibera, there is no machete-wielding youth to inquire of your name and tribe. There is no chance one will not be beaten up by mobs of youths or police. People are free to go about their business as well as go to work outside the slum. Peace is also good for this (AMREF) clinic. It offers us cheap medical services. We, the mothers and our children are big beneficiaries. My sister gave birth here sometimes back and it would be great if the maternity operated fulltime again.
Maria Tororey, Clinical Officer
The chaos found me upcountry in the Rift Valley. I could not come back to work as travelling to Nairobi was next to impossible. What with the rampaging youths blocking highways and attacking and killings travellers? Even when I made it to Nairobi, I could not get to work immediately. Kibera was engulfed in skirmishes and it was not safe to move around.
Our (AMREF) clinic shut its doors to the public for some days and even when we returned, anxiety was still there. Everyone was monitoring the news of the conflict with bated breath. Few people dared to venture here to seek treatment. Some of our ARV clients could not access Laini Saba and missed out on their vital dosage. But with peace unfolding, they are coming back while the patients coming daily are on the increase.
Anxiety is now gone, replaced with bright faces. People can discuss development and other issues other than the bloodletting and politics. It is a welcome situation. I can now freely attend to patients, diagnose them - without much fear of attack. A number of people seeking medical help are showing signs of trauma and I have had to counsel them. Others, I refer to the social workers. A number of patients I have seen in the recent past had malaria, diarrhoeal diseases, respiratory tract infections and skin diseases. I have also attended to HIV and TB clients. It is nice to see this (AMREF) clinic vibrant again and coming to the aid of the sick and suffering. I am optimistic all will be well and the community will be free to enjoy our services in a peaceful environment.
Queen Wambua, Laundry Section, also Kibera resident
The chaos that broke out soon after the announcement of the Presidential Election results affected us a great deal- here at the clinic and the slums. We, the residents of Kibera’s Laini Saba could not get to the market, we could neither get to the railway line (cutting through the slum) nor get to the football field (both are on the exit routes from the Laini Saba side).
It was impossible to come to work at times when violence reared its ugly head in Kibera. I had to keep some staff residing out of Kibera updated on the security situation in and around Kibera. Some of the sick would call on me wondering when the (AMREF) clinic would open so they could access medical services. ART and TB therapy patients suffered most as they could not get their daily dosage when the clinic was shut or when they could not just make it to the facility. I advised some of them to check with Kenyatta National Hospital or Lang’ata Health Centre for the requisite drugs.
The conflict inflicted deep wounds that are hard to heal soon. The tribal fights had people displaced, property lost or destroyed, houses burnt and people maimed or killed. Now that the leaders are agreed on the way out of the crisis, they should get the ordinary people to reconcile. There is need to make amends- those who lost property or businesses must be compensated. The government should extend loans to people while all must be assured the peace deal is a serious undertaking.
