Kenya: Treatment of Kikuyu in Nairobi (not Mungiki-related); whether a Kikuyu from a different area of Kenya would face difficulties settling in Nairobi (2000-2003)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 20 March 2003 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | KEN41293.E |
| Reference | 7 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Kenya: Treatment of Kikuyu in Nairobi (not Mungiki-related); whether a Kikuyu from a different area of Kenya would face difficulties settling in Nairobi (2000-2003), 20 March 2003, KEN41293.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3f7d4dbb7.html [accessed 3 November 2019] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to an adjunct assistant professor of international relations at the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, whose publications include Ethnic Clashes and Winning Elections: The Case of Kenya's Electoral Despotism,
[i]t is highly unlikely that a Kikuyu from outside Nairobi would have any problem settling there. It is a cosmopolitan city, and the new government is making a lot of progress in making the place more liveable and hopefully more safe (from crime, including Mungiki which they have cracked down on). I have never heard of Kikuyu from outside Central Kenya having any problems in Nairobi – it is one of the places people fled to for safety during earlier violence in the countryside (17 Mar. 2003).
A professor of political science at the University of Ottawa, who has recently published an article entitled Deteriorating Human Security in Kenya: Domestic, Regional and Global Dimensions, corroborated the opinion expressed above when he stated that "Nairobi is the destination of choice for the Kikuyu 'diaspora,' especially those displaced by violence" (18 Mar. 2003).
A March 2000 article by the Panafrican News Agency reported that the "first ever" community radio station in Kenya went on air to target the Kikuyu speaking population in central Kenya and greater Nairobi (10 Mar. 2000). According to the article, the radio station has a broadcast radius of 50 miles from central Nairobi and presents its programs in Kiswahili, English and Kikuyu (PANA 10 Mar. 2000). The radio station was conceived by a local non-governmental organization, Regional Outreach Ltd, and, according to its director, Rose Kimotho, it will focus on issues relating to Kikuyu culture, history and music (ibid.).
Additional information regarding the treatment of Kikuyu in Nairobi (not Mungkiki-related) could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Adjunct assistant professor of international relations, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University. 17 March 2003. Correspondence.
Panafrican News Agency (PANA). 10 March 2000. "Kenya: Kenya Licenses First Community Radio Station." (Africa News/NEXIS)
Professor of political science, University of Ottawa. 18 March 2003. Correspondence.
Additional Sources Consulted
IRB Databases
Keesing's Record of World Events
NEXIS
Internet sites, including:
Africa Confidential
Africa Online
AllAfrica.com
Amnesty International (AI)
BBC Africa
East African Standard
Global IDP
Human Rights Watch (HRW)
Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)
Relief Web
U.S. Department of State
World News.com
World News Connection (WNC)
Search engine:
