Conger

Kenya’s post-election violence has had harsh economic and social effects across East Africa, the Archbishop of Uganda’s assistant for international affairs, Canon Alison Barfoot reports from Kampala.

While there is little danger the political and ethnic strife will spill over into the Great Lakes region of Africa, Canon Barfoot reports the economic impact of the Kenyan civil unrest has been immediate.

Petrol supplies have all but run out in Kampala as Uganda’s petroleum supplies are imported via Mombasa. Since the violence began in Western Kenya, the flow of oil to Uganda and the other Great Lakes countries: Rwanda, Burundi and Eastern Congo, has stopped.

All domestic flights have been grounded due to a shortage of jet fuel, and the cost of public transportation has doubled in less than a week.

Some office workers in Kampala who had returned home to their villages for the Christmas holidays found they could not come back to Kampala due to the fuel shortage. When black market diesel fuel is available it sells for over £10 a gallon. Electricity is now being rationed at eight hours a day in the West Nile District of northwestern Uganda, with fuel stockpiles expected to last only through the end of the week.

Canon Barfoot reports the Church of Uganda has been sheltering Kenya refugees.

“Kikuyu (historically from the central region of Kenya), who were living in Western Kenya (home to the vast majority of Luos), have experienced the brunt of the post-election violence. They have been chased from their homes,” she reports.

“They are staying in our churches and schools, and at police stations. They need our prayers, as do our diocesan leaders in those places,” she said.

Read it all in The Church of England Newspaper.