Kenyan Environmentalist Receives Death Threats, Is in Hiding
Copyright 2001 Sierra Club
June 29, 2001
The Sierra Club is extremely concerned for the safaety of Kenyan environmentalist and community leader Arwgings Odera, of the Africa Water Network. There has been heightened tension and intimidation throughout Kenya in recent months, particularly in the area adjacent to the troubled Sondu-Miriu Hydro-Electric Power Project. Mr. Odera himself was shot in the arm by authorities last December as he was being detained for "making false statements" about the Sondu-Miriu Project. He was then held incommunicado for seven days during which time he was reportedly beaten and tortured.
Mr. Odera has become a target for retribution for his efforts to stop the Sondu-Miriu Project, which is currently in its civil works stage involving construction of camp sites, roads, a bridge, and other infrastructure. The project would have an enormous impact on the environment and the communities in the Sondu-Miriu area. Critics of the project, including Odera, have argued that the full environmental and social impact of the project has not been fully studied or disclosed and that the project has already been infested with corruption and bribery.
Last December, funding for the second phase of the dam was put on hold by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency because of concerns about the project brought to light by critics like Mr. Odera. While security forces on the ground are engaging in violence against the project's critics, Kenyan President Daniel Arap Moi has begun a public relations campaign to marginalize the protesters as unpatriotic. President Moi, who is up for election next year, has used such tactics of intimidation and violence to maintain power in Kenya for many years. Another victim of such human rights violations from Kenyan authorities is Professor Wangari Maathai, who was featured in the Sierra Club and Amnesty International's Human Rights & the Environment report, "Environmentalists Under Fire."
Given the serious concern for Mr. Odera's safety, we hope you will take this opportunity to write to the Kenyan Ambassador to the U.S., Dr. Yusuf Abdulrahman Nzibo, by mail or by e-mail. Urge the Ambassador to send word to his government that Mr. Odera must be assured safety and that he not be threatened with any further violence. Inform the Ambassador that Mr. Odera is an environmentalist, not a criminal, and should therefore be safe from further violence and police actions against him.
The Web address for sending an e-mail is http://209.213.98.23/Kenya/email.cfm. The mailing address of the Kenyan Embassy is:
Ambassador Yusuf Abdulrahman Nzibo
Embassy of the Republic of Kenya
2249 R Street, NW
Washington, DC 20008
For more information on the situation of the Sondu-Miriu Project and Arwgings Odera, please visit:
http://www.irn.org/programs/safrica/sondu.991222.html http://www.irn.org/programs/safrica/010409.torture.html http://www.econewsafrica.org/sondu.html
Please e-mail Sam Parry at sam.parry@sierraclub.org with a copy of your letter to Ambassador Nzibo. You can also write or call Sam at 408 C St., NE, Washington, DC 20002, or (202) 675-7907.
Here is a letter the Sierra Club sent to the US Ambassador to Kenya late last week:
June 21, 2001
Mr. Johnnie Carson
U.S. Ambassador to Kenya
Nairobi (E)
Mombasa Road
P.O. Box 30137
Unit 64100
APO AE 09831-4100
VIA FAX: 254-2537-810
Re: Environmentalist and community organizer receives death threats for
his efforts to stop the environmentally destructive Sondu-Miriu Dam Project.
Dear Ambassador Carson,
On behalf of the Sierra Club's more than 700,000 members, I am writing to express our concern for the safety of Kenyan environmentalist and community leader, Mr. Argwings Odera. Mr. Odera is a member of the Africa Water Network and is a leading critic of the Sondu-Miriu Hydropower Project in western Kenya.
Though he has practiced peaceful organizing and protests against the dam project, which is in its early construction stages, Mr. Odera has been the victim of numerous human rights violations. In December 2000, Mr. Odera was shot in the arm as police arrested him for distributing "false" information about the dam project. He was then held incommunicado for a number of days during which time he was reportedly beaten.
Though Mr. Odera was released, the threats against him and other members of his organization continue. Earlier this month, after the Japanese government suspended funding for the dam, in part as a result of Africa Water Network's work, Mr. Odera received numerous anonymous death threats and he now fears for his life. Sources have told Mr. Odera that local Nyanza police are behind the threats and apparently have plans to kill him.
The Sierra Club urges you to take every available step to contact the government of Kenya to ensure the safety of Mr. Odera, the other members of Africa Water Network, and of all protesters of the dam project. Such steps should include the public denunciation of tactics by the Kenyan government to threaten dam opponents.
While the merits of the Sondu-Miriu Dam Project can and should be debated, it is unacceptable that Kenyan police authorities are involved in intimidation, death threats, and other human rights violations against Mr. Odera and the dam opponents. When it comes to protecting the environment, earth defenders like Mr. Odera should be allowed to speak out freely without fear of reprisals.
We look forward to hearing back from you regarding the steps you have taken or will take to support Mr. Odera's safety. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Alejandro Queral
Washington Representative
Sierra Club
Tel: (202) 675-6279
cc:
Senator Russ Feingold
Representative Christopher H. Smith
Representative Cynthia McKinney
Assistant Secretary of State Lorne W. Craner, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
Walter H. Kansteiner III, Bureau of African Affairs
Wendy Silverman, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor