US embassy cable - 05NAIROBI1591

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 NAIROBI 001591 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR AF/E, AF/EPS, AND AF/PD 
 
DEPT PASS USAID FOR AFR/EA 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAID, ECON, PREL, PTER, PHUM, SOCI, KGHA, KISL, KPAO, MOPS, KE, Muslims 
SUBJECT:  CJTF-HOA BRINGS EDUCATION TO DISADVANTAGED MUSLIM 
          GIRLS 
 
REF:   Nairobi 001072 
 
Sensitive-But-Unclassified.  Not for release outside USG 
channels. 
 
1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  On April 6, DCM, accompanied by COL Wendy 
Fontela, Political Advisor, CJTF-HOA, dedicated the new 
girls' secondary school in Bute, Wajir North constituency, 
in Kenya's under-developed and almost exclusively Muslim 
Northeastern Province.  This school was the local MP and 
the community leaders' top priority, despite the other 
obvious development needs.  At approximately USD 250,000 
the school is the largest CJTF-HOA Civil Affairs (CA) 
project to date in Kenya.  Historically, few girls in Wajir 
are educated and only a handful has ever attended secondary 
school.  Approximately 500 community members observed the 
dedication ceremony.  Presentations by local students 
included a dramatic presentation of a family debate on 
allowing girls to go to school and also songs thanking 
America and the U.S. Military (and praising the Kibaki 
administration despite the fact that Bute and all of North 
Eastern Province are opposition strongholds).  Interacting 
with the DCM and COL Fontela, (likely the only foreign 
women and among the few professional women they have ever 
spent time with) the girl students quickly opened up with 
questions about life outside of Wajir and enthusiasm for 
pursuing dreams of professional careers.  The Bute Girls' 
Secondary School is an example of a CJTF-HOA CA program 
contributing to a number of Mission priorities on Muslim 
outreach, support for girls' education, and enhancing 
Kenya's internal security.  We are offering important 
development assistance in a region much neglected by the 
GOK.  At the same time, such projects need to set the stage 
for longer-term interaction with these communities and 
avoid becoming political currency for local politicians. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
-------------------------------- 
THE PRIORITY OF GIRLS' EDUCATION 
-------------------------------- 
 
2.  (U) On April 6, DCM, Ms. Leslie Rowe, accompanied by COL 
Wendy Fontela, Political Advisor, CJTF-HOA, dedicated the 
new girls' secondary school in Bute, Wajir North 
constituency, in Kenya's under-developed and almost 
exclusively Muslim Northeastern Province.  Bute is in a 
primarily Somali ethnic area in northern Wajir that has a 
long history of violent tribal clashes.  The community has 
tribal connections to both Ethiopia and Somalia.  (See 
Reftel for additional background on Wajir's economic 
disadvantage.)  At approximately USD 250,000, the school is 
the largest CJTF-HOA Civil Affairs (CA) project to date in 
Kenya.  The Bute community turned out in force for the 
ceremony.  The students from the school were grateful and 
excited about the opportunity to continue their education. 
Currently, fifteen girls from Bute and fifteen from other 
areas have already begun their studies as the first class, 
holding their sessions in a classroom at a local primary 
school.  In May, when the school year recommences and the 
Bute Girls' Secondary School officially opens, the class 
will total 45, the maximum capacity for one class, about 
half of which will come from other parts of Wajir.  Forty- 
five new students will form entry classes in each of the 
coming three years.  The school's headmaster is already 
concerned about the pressures that will come as early as 
next fall when he has to refuse entry to deserving girls 
due to limited capacity.  This is only the third girls' 
secondary school in all of Wajir, and only the eighth in 
the entire Northeast province.  CJTF-HOA CA has supported 
all three schools in Wajir and is currently considering 
projects at Girls' Schools in Garissa and Mandera West. 
 
3.  (SBU) During the CA team's initial visit to Bute in 
October, the constituency's Member of Parliament (MP), Dr. 
Abdullahi Ali, and the village elders made clear that 
creating this school was their number one priority, despite 
the other obvious development needs, such as adequate 
water, decent roads, communication with the outside world, 
secure food supplies, competent health and veterinary care, 
and relief from an ever-present threat of ethnic clashes 
and raiding from neighboring groups in both Kenya and 
Ethiopia.  Dr. Ali and the community leaders have 
maintained excellent relations with three successive CA 
teams and Embassy liaison officer over the past seven 
months.  Dissenting opinions from the community on building 
a girls school, whether out of concerns about losing 
traditional roles for girls, or a preference for other 
needs, have not been expressed publicly to date.  (Although 
when asked, both Dr. Ali and other leaders admit that such 
opinions do exist.)  The contractor for the school was 
hired locally, and, by all accounts did a timely and 
masterful job, even exceeding the terms of the contract for 
building capacity.  His extra effort reflects the spirit of 
the community and the broad support for this project. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
THE DEDICATION - PLEADING FOR GIRLS' EDUCATION 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
4.  (U) The dedication ceremony was a joyous and colorful 
occasion with over 500 community members watching, 
clapping, and dancing, despite sitting for over an hour in 
temperatures in the 90s.  Reflecting the conservative tone 
of the community, the women and children were divided from 
the men and older boys.  The senior chief of the village 
reminded the gathering that in the past (mostly in the 
1970s) USAID had done a number of projects in the area, 
including the building of schools, small dams, and other 
infrastructure.  He "welcomed the U.S. government back to 
Bute," and remarked that despite our absence, the people of 
Bute have "remained friends with America."  The District 
Education Officer used the occasion to remind the audience 
of Kenya's continuing struggle against gender inequality. 
 
5.  (U) The highlight of the dedication (in addition to the 
wrapping of DCM and COL Fontela in traditional Somali 
cloth), were the performances by local students.  The 
students from the new school sang songs of welcome and 
thanks to the U.S. Army and Marines.  They also presented a 
moving dramatic piece about a girl's desire for education 
despite her "father's" objections -- based on the fear that 
the girl would forget her culture, start wearing trousers, 
and turn away from her family.  An "Advocate" echoed the 
girl's pleas, demanding she be allowed to "go to school, 
choose what she wants to do, and choose her own partner." 
In the end the father saw the light and the girl was 
allowed to go to school like her brothers. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
THE U.S. MILITARY IS WELCOME - HOW ABOUT THE MP? 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
6.  (U) Also during the dedication ceremony, students from 
one primary school and the boys secondary school greeted 
the DCM and Col Fontela by performing a welcoming song with 
the hit line (and apparently new appellation) "We are 
Butarians and Butarians are you!"  They also presented 
individual appeals on the importance of education, the need 
for economic assistance, and concerns about security.  The 
final performance was by Bute's other primary school and it 
included the (unintentional) comic relief:  a long, 
obviously original song with a chorus praising "Kenya's 
Rainbow" and verses honoring President Kibaki and a number 
of his National Rainbow Coalition ministers, while Hon. 
Ali, a staunch supporter of the opposition KANU party (as 
is all of Northeastern Province) looked on as the 
uncomfortable recipient of chiding and scorn by the Kenyan 
officials and elders present. 
 
------------------------------------- 
THE GIRL STUDENTS - A DOOR HAS OPENED 
------------------------------------- 
 
7.  (SBU) Prior to the forming of the first class in 
January, only five girls from Bute were attending secondaryschool, all boarded 
outside the constituency.  [NOTE:  This 
initial class conducted their first term at Bute's girls' 
primary school, anticipating the May opening of the new 
secondary school and not wanting to miss the chance to 
complete the school year. END NOTE.]  Over the years, the 
number of girls from this area that have completed 
secondary education is miniscule (community leaders could 
not recall an example - especially if a girl had gone away 
to school and not returned to the family since she would be 
soon "forgotten").  It is unlikely that any girls from 
Bute, and perhaps none from all of Wajir district, have 
gone to university.  Only a handful of boys from Wajir have 
qualified for university over the past few years. 
 
8.  (SBU) Given the opportunity to lunch with the DCM and 
COL Fontela (likely the only foreign women and among the 
rare professional women they have ever interacted with), 
the girl students quickly overcame their severe shyness and 
engaged with the guests of honor with questions about life 
outside of Wajir and with obvious enthusiasm for the 
opportunity to pursue their dreams.  To a girl they wanted 
to succeed in school and move on to become doctors, 
lawyers, pilots, and businesswomen.  Despite the hardship 
of their pastoralist lives, these young women (at least by 
community standards, most of whom are 15-16 years old and 
with cohorts already married), were smart and forward- 
looking. 
 
-------------- 
THE NEW SCHOOL 
-------------- 
 
9.  (SBU) The school infrastructure includes an 
administration building and library, four class rooms, a 
dormitory, a kitchen and dining hall, two sets of showers, 
and eight pit latrine toilets.  All furniture and staff 
requirements are in place for the school's official opening 
in May.  A number of other contributors have committed to 
the school's completion:  Honorable Dr. Ali is dedicating 
some of his federally-allotted Constituency Development 
Funds to furnish the administrative and staff offices. 
Bluebird Aviation, a private air charter company, has 
donated 45 beds and mattresses for the first class.  They 
also made a commitment to donate an additional 45 beds and 
mattresses in following years, as the school grows beyond 
its initial Form I class.  [NOTE: Please protect the firm's 
name as it prefers to make this donation anonymously.  END 
NOTE.]  UNICEF has made a commitment to contribute desks 
and chairs to the school as it grows beyond its current 
capabilities. 
 
10.  (SBU) The school has some additional infrastructure 
needs, which the CA team is working to address, perhaps in 
partnership with another donor.  These include the 
construction of a high quality fence around the schoolyard 
to protect against intruding livestock, wild animals, and, 
as the Hon. Dr. Ali noted, "the threat from human male 
animals."  Until the fence is completed the students will 
continue to sleep in a dormitory at the Bute Girls' Primary 
School.  The other pressing need is for a new water source. 
Currently, Bute has no functioning deep boreholes, and all 
water is collected manually from shallow wells of 
questionable quality.  The CA team will assess whether it 
is more effective to cooperate on the drilling of a new 
borehole at the school site or help rehabilitate an 
existing borehole to have the capacity to pipe water to the 
new school. 
 
--------------------------------------- 
COMMENT:  AN IMPORTANT MISSION OUTREACH 
--------------------------------------- 
 
11.  (SBU) The Bute Girls Secondary School is an extremely 
worthy project that compliments a number of Mission 
priorities on Muslim outreach, support for girls' 
education, and enhancing Kenya's internal security. 
Because of security and logistic concerns, it could only be 
done through the CJTF-HOA CA program.  Kenya's North 
Eastern Province is much neglected by the central 
government, and CA projects make an important contribution 
to specific development needs in isolated and needy 
communities.  These interventions also raise the profile of 
the U.S. in the minds of the locals, and provide an 
opportunity for positive interaction with military as well 
as Embassy personnel. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
COMMENT CONTINUED:  IMPACTING LOCAL POLITICS? 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
12.  (SBU) At the same time, we need to be aware of our 
potential impact on a community's balance of power.  Hon. 
Ali is a frank, enjoyable interlocutor who is very 
supportive of the CA teams' efforts and access.  He 
originally had a sign made for the school that read, "The 
U.S. Marines Bute Girls Secondary School," and outfitted 
some of the dedication participants in t-shirts extolling 
the role of the U.S. military in the project.  He is also 
quite open about the positive impact the new school can 
have on his political standing in the community, despite 
having to endure the primary kids' "Rainbow" song.  The 
pressure for him now is to assure that the school is a 
success and that the structures, which should be functional 
for thirty years, do not become an empty legacy of a 
community's failure to promote equality between girls and 
boys.  For the Embassy and CJTF-HOA it is important to not 
allow these projects to generate excessive political 
capital for specific politicians, unduly influencing a 
constituency's natural political process.  The nature of CA 
projects makes this a concern.  Projects are selected 
through consultations with MPs, District Officers, and 
other government officials, unlike the Ambassador's Self 
Help program, which solicits project ideas from community- 
based organizations.  The rapid timeline for CA projects 
also encourages the active participation of MPs. 
 
13.  (SBU) Despite these considerations, the dedication of 
the Bute Girls' Secondary School was an overwhelming 
success and excellent proof to ordinary Kenyans of U.S. 
interest in helping poor communities.  Our delegation, 
headed by two women holding positions of prominence in both 
protocol and command, undoubtedly impacted this culturally 
and religiously conservative community.  For the girl 
students, anxious to enter the broader world through 
learning, and ambitious to pursue a more rewarding future 
than their mothers, this was a potentially life-changing 
experience.  For some in the community, this blast from the 
progressive outside world was no doubt troubling, and their 
true reaction was likely in line with the "Father's" in the 
play.  Many parents here will not allow even their 
brightest girls to go to school, for some, not even to 
primary school.  For the wider community to accept and 
appreciate the school and the implications of girls' 
education it will be important that they witness concrete 
benefits to their community and the students' well-being. 
For this to happen, we will encourage the long-term 
participation of CJTF-HOA to continue these important 
projects.  We will also look for additional resources and 
partners to help us maintain contact, access, and 
cooperation with Bute and other disadvantaged areas of 
Kenya.  END COMMENT. 
 
BELLAMY