We continue to monitor the situation in Kenya during the post-election period. We have maintained regular phone calls and emails with our field staff, partners and the Canadian High Commission (CHC). Through these various points of contact, we have been able to closely follow recent events and assess the climate in the host community of Kimende and surrounding areas, where participants are hosted.

All of our sources confirm that the situation in Kenya continues to normalize; schools in Nairobi have reopened, as have the major highways through areas which saw the greatest upheaval. As we shared earlier, Kimende continues to be unaffected by post-election activities and the program has thankfully been able to carry on, in large part, as planned.

We are aware of the rallies which have been planned this week and all information we have gathered indicates that they will remain peaceful. Moreover, after conversations with various representatives of the Canadian High Commission (Nairobi and the local warden), we feel confident that the area in and around Kimende will remain calm and free of any demonstrations. 

The CHC has advised that it would be safest for the team to stay in Kimende as we continue to monitor the situation closely. Additionally, we continue to ask participants to remain in the community and avoid any large public gatherings. We will remain in close contact with both the team and our other contacts on the ground to ensure that we are on top of any new developments as they happen.

Please know that the participants are in very good hands, are certainly learning a great deal and enjoying the experience despite recent events in the country. The security and safety of the participants continue to be our highest priority and accordingly, we are always ready to take emergency action should the situation warrant. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Ms. Diane Der, program manager for our projects in Kenya, at dder@cwy-jcm.org or 1-888-421-9761, ext. 15.