Information on the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (CJPC) within the Nairobi Archdiocese could not be found among the sources consulted. However, the Africa Team Leader of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (CCODP) explained in correspondence with the Research Directorate that most dioceses have a Justice and Peace Commission and that they often include a women's group as well as a youth group (12 Dec. 2003). A press release issued on 7 September 2000 by the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission of Kenya, which calls on Kenyans to aid the authorities in their investigation of the "brutal killings of ... priests and other religious people," points out that the CJPC of Kenya represents 24 Catholic dioceses and has offices throughout Kenya (Peacelink).

Also of interest is an 18 December 2003 report by the Catholic Information Service for Africa (CISA) that has Archbishop Zacchaeus Okoth of the Archdiocese of Kisumu calling on other dioceses in Kenya to redefine the role of the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission to one of promoting civic education, conflict resolution and democracy. Archbishop Okoth, who was the first bishop chairman of the CJPC at the Kenya Episcopal Conference level, reportedly stated that the "role of the CJPC should be to raise the consciousness of communities to know the role of politics and their rights" (CISA 18 Dec. 2003).

Regarding the clash that erupted in Nairobi's Kibera slum during December 2001, various media reports describing the conflict were found (EAS 5 Dec. 2001; The Nation 7 Dec. 2001; AMECEA Dec. 2001; IRIN 13 Dec. 2001) including one by the Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) which claims that the conflict was sparked by a dispute between landlords who were predominantly Nubian and tenants who were mainly Luo (12 Dec. 2001). A summary of the conflict and an analysis of the issues relevant to it, is provided in the attached article by IRIN, "Kenya: Focus on Clashes in Kibera Slum, Nairobi."

Although references specifically mentioning the CJPC's involvement in the Kibera clashes were not found, the Archdiocese of Nairobi, in a statement released on 5 December 2001, raised what AMECEA News called "a scathing attack on the President and Cabinet Minister [Raila] Odinga ... for the fracas in Kibera slums" (Dec. 2001). According to AMECEA News, the Archdiocese asserted that "'[t]hese two are wholly to blame for the deaths, the maiming and the destruction that Kibera is now witnessing'" (Dec. 2001). The AMECEA News report also claims that during a confirmation ceremony in Kibera on 8 December 2001, His Grace Raphael Ndingi Mwana 'a Nzeki, the Archbishop of Nairobi, blamed the violence in Kenya on its leaders, stating that "youth were paid by leaders to cause problems" (Dec. 2001).

Other Christian and Muslim religious leaders reacted with anger at news of the clashes and issued a statement on 10 December 2001 that "castigated the presence of security forces, which instead of quelling the riot, enhanced the exodus of residents" (AMECEA Dec. 2001). The statement was signed by representatives of the

Kenya Episcopal Conference (KEC), the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM), the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK), the Hindu Council of Kenya, the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA), the Methodist Church in Kenya (MCK), the Muslim Consultative Council (MCC) and the Organization of Africa Instituted Churches (OAIC) (ibid.).

Information on whether the Green Belt Movement was involved in the above-mentioned conflict could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

In a separate, more recent incident, four members of the CJPC, including Father Gabriel Dolan of the St. Patrick's Missions Society who is also the CJPC Coordinator of the Kitale Diocese, were "brutally arrested" by police when they attempted to present a letter to Vice President Moody Awori on the issue of land grabbing (CISA 9 Nov. 2003; see also The Nation 8 Nov. 2003). According to media sources, the four CJPC members were arrested and later released on 6 November 2003 for obstructing the Vice-President's motorcade while protesting the allocation of land, which had belonged to the Kitale prison, to senior officials of the past and present government (ibid; CISA 9 Nov. 2003). On 10 November 2003, Kenya's Catholic bishops issued a statement "'condemn[ing] ... the brutal, physical violence and the excessive use of force upon the Catholic priest Fr. Gabriel Dolan'" as "'unjustified and unacceptable'" (ibid.).

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

Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) News. December 2001. No. 18. "Kenya: Violence Condemned." http://www.amecea.org/news18.htm [Accessed 4 Dec. 2003]

Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (CCODP), Montreal. 12 December 2003. Correspondence with the Team Leader for Africa.

Catholic Information Service for Africa (CISA) [Nairobi]. 18 December 2003. "Redefine Role of Catholic Justice and Peace - Archbishop Okoth." http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200312190674.html [Accessed 6 Jan. 2004]

_____. 9 November 2003. "Apologise over Arrested Church Peace Workers, Bishops Tell Police." http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200311110315.html [Accessed 3 Dec. 2003]

The East African Standard (EAS) [Nairobi]. 5 December 2001. Dominic Wabala, Tom Odula and Nancy Khisa. "Death as Violence Erupts in Kibera." http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200112050041.html [Accessed 4 Dec. 2001]

Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN). 13 December 2001. "Kenya: Focus on Clashes in Kibera Slum, Nairobi." http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=17688 [Accessed 12 Dec. 2003]

The Nation [Nairobi]. 8 November 2003. Peter Ng'Etich and George Omonso. "Priest and Activists Released; VP Intervened After Arrest Over Claims of Blocking His Motorcade." http://www.nationaudio.com/News/DailyNation/08112003/News/News0811200323.html [Accessed 4 Dec. 2003]

_____. 7 December 2001. "Slum Women March to Moi's Office." http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200112060589.html [Accessed 4 Dec. 2001]

Peacelink. 7 September 2000. Catholic Justice and Peace Commission of Kenya. Press Release. http://lists.peacelink.it/africa/msg00322.html [Accessed 3 Dec. 2003]

Attachment

Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN). 13 December 2001. "Kenya: Focus on Clashes in Kibera Slum, Nairobi." [Accessed 12 Dec. 2003] (3 pages)

Additional Sources Consulted

Africa Confidential

Africa Research Bulletin

Dialog

Indian Ocean Newsletter

IRB Databases

Keesing's Record of World Events

Unsuccessful attempts to contact the Green Belt Movement, the Kenya Catholic Secretariat, the Catholic Diocese in Kenya, the Catholic Archdiocese in Nairobi, the National Council of Churches of Kenya, and Saint Patrick's Missionary Society in Kitale.

Internet sites, including:

Africa Online

AllAfrica.com

Amnesty International (AI)

BBC Africa

Canadian Council of Churches

Catholic-Hierarchy

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2002

East African Standard

Global IDP

The Green Belt Movement

Human Rights Watch (HRW)

Independent Catholic News

Peace and Development Network (PeaceNet-Kenya)

Relief Web

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