Kenya Crisis: The Challenge of Impartiality

The recent violence following the general election in Kenya has shocked the world and led to thousands of Kenyans displaced and divided along ethnic lines. Whilst the media spotlight has turned towards the politics of the crisis, the humanitarian impact of the ongoing violence is huge, with hundreds of thousands of Kenyans in the affected provinces still badly in need of assistance.

The need for neutral and impartial humanitarian assistance is paramount and the Kenya Red Cross, supported by the ICRC, was the first agency to respond to the crisis. They are the lead agency for the response in Kenya and Kenya Red Cross' staff and volunteers have been working tirelessly since the beginning of the violence to reach those affected.

With the politics of the crisis being so keenly examined, so are the tribal tensions that have surfaced as a result of the crisis. Stories of people being attacked and killed due to their tribal affiliations have been widely reported and the violence has led to mass displacement along ethnic lines. Due to the highly charged nature of the crisis, criticism regarding the aid response was inevitable. I have read some blogs where people have expressed views that perhaps agencies, including the Red Cross, have been partial in their response: favouring certain groups of Kenyans over others. Evidence to support these views has not been produced and the majority of Kenyans are overwhelmingly in support of the work of the Red Cross.

So how does the Red Cross maintain impartiality in such a polarised crisis? All Red Cross/Red Crescent National Societies are guided by the seven fundamental principles of Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary Service, Unity and Universality. The current Red Cross response in Kenya is a fantastic example of a National Society delivering impartial aid in a highly complex and political crisis.

Kenya Red Cross has worked very hard to ensure the response to the current post election violence in Kenya is not along ethnic lines. As a result of this neutral and impartial mandate, Kenya Red Cross is respected by the Kenyan people and has access to many parts of the country to provide much needed assistance to people caught up in the violence. Kenya Red Cross staff and volunteers are made up of a cross section of the Kenyan society, and is representative of all peoples living in Kenya.

There are very real difficulties for a national Red Cross of working in a context of internal violence and the Kenya Red Cross has taken various measures to ensure that their assistance to the affected people is not partial. Assessments are based on needs and not tribal affiliations. Kenya Red Cross has moved staff and volunteers around the country to work in the Rift Valley to avoid tribal tensions, ensure impartiality and to avoid staff and volunteers being exposed to possible violence due to tribal affiliation.

The Kenya Red Cross is working with the support of the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) who assists Kenya Red Cross with both assessing needs and with the provision of support in line with the seven fundamental principles. Kenya Red Cross is a strong organisation which has trained staff and volunteers all over the country ready to respond.

With the support of the ICRC, Kenya Red Cross responded immediately to the needs of those affected by the violence and together they ensure needs are accurately assessed and that aid reaches all the affected regions.

For further information on the work of the Kenya Red Cross please visit the Kenya Red Cross website.