NAIROBI (January 30, 2008) – Dorah Nyanja is visibly moved as she recounts her ordeal though she can’t conceal a radiant smile. She is keenly aware that the community she serves protected her at a time when things were out of control and violence in Kibera made headlines news around the world. She speaks of children displaying more violent behavior and asking unusual questions that reflect Kenya’s current polarization. “What is your ethnic group Daktari?” is a question she hears from children nowadays and one that particularly worries her. She responds to them, “What does tribe have to do with me being here?”
Like many other Kenyans, Nyanja is the product of a mixed marriage between two different tribes, a status that has never been an issue before.
Though this is not the first time that ethnic violence has flared up after national elections, she says, this is the first time that divisions are so pronounced and widespread. “I think we will need a lot of psycho-social support to offset what has happened in Kibera and the rest of the country,” she says. “Parents need to understand that children internalize what they see and hear and they translate that into behaviors. There is a need for counseling and a lot of community work to rebuild the social fabric.”
When asked about incidences of rape and sexual violence, she confirms that post-electoral chaos has contributed to an increase of cases but says that many still go unreported. “There is stigmatization in the community and victims often feel they are dirty and have done something wrong,” explains Dorah, adding that not too long ago, at the beginning of December, the Nairobi Women’s Hospital held a one-day-workshop in Kibera on how to identify and treat rape cases. “The problem is that some women come to me but much later when they are either pregnant or are dealing with a sexually transmitted infection.”
Most importantly, she adds, many people are now destitute since they lost their businesses during the recent surge of violence. Burning and looting destroyed people’s livelihoods and has had a tremendous impact on the informal economy of Kibera. “Barely 40 percent of my clients can now afford to pay me even half of the cost of medicines,” Dorah says. Her business is based on a cash-on-delivery principle for restocking essential medicines like antibiotics, anti-malaria and skin lotions for treating rashes and other skin-related conditions.
“This morning I saw a family of four, a mother and three children, who have been my clients for a long time. They were all very sick. I gave them medicines but they could not afford to pay anything,” she explains. “The mother used to run a green grocer shop in Kibera but during the general looting it was burnt down. She is now destitute and needs to start from scratch but has absolutely no money left.” Dorah says that if it were not for the community, her building too would have been burnt down by the arsonists and she would have nothing left. “I am now issuing my drugs on humanitarian grounds,” she says. “but I cannot do this for a long time as my supplies are running low and I am already out of essential stocks.”
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