PEV - Josephine's story

As we ask you to #SimamiaPeace, we want to help you understand the consequences of the alternative, especially for children. Josephine was just 7 years old during the post election violence of 2007/8. Here she shares her family's story....

"My family and I used to live in Limuru but my parents separated because of domestic issues as my father was an alcoholic. At the time of the election in 2007, people from other ethnic communities were chased out from Limuru and we were among those who ran away. My mother’s friend took us to Kibera where he hosted us for some time until my mother met Vincent who introduced her to (Tin Roof Foundation’s partner) Vision Africa.

The 2007-08 post-election violence affected my brothers and I because we were separated from our older siblings who remained behind with our father. We were afraid because everywhere people were fighting and we didn’t have any food. My mother had to struggle for us to get food and a place to sleep.

The impact that we felt after the separation of our family is that we knew we could not see our father and our sister again and we do not understand why.

For this coming election, people think there will be violence in different places like Kibera where we live if it is not going to be free and fair. There has been presence of police which causes fear and some people are planning to move out of Kibera for fear of violence during election time. I fear that if this coming election is not going to be free and fair then violence will be all over the country.

I also fear of the corrupt leaders who will be the cause of violence and disunity in the country. I hope there will be peace during this time of campaign, on election day and after the election so that the country can move forward with the new government.

My message to  the older people who are going to vote this year is that they should be leading in preaching peace and unity among the different communities. I would urge everyone not to think that their community is better than the others but they should come together and live like brothers and sisters knowing that Kenya is bigger than our politicians who want to mislead us and it is also bigger than the upcoming election."

POST BY JOSEPHINE, 16 YEARS

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