Long-neglected Turkana to reap benefits of Sudanese aid operation

The UN, donors and aid agencies are being asked to club together to raise funds for the Turkana in northwestern Kenya, who over the last 10 years have hosted an aid operation for war-torn Sudan worth one billion US dollars. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has committed itself to donating US $200,000 by the end of 2004, and it is hoped aid agencies who use the town of Lokichokio as a launch pad for their humanitarian efforts will provide at least the same, Michael Lund, project manager in UNDP told IRIN. Lokichokio, home to all of the aid and UN agencies flying into Sudan, lies in one of Kenya's poorest, most underdeveloped and neglected regions. Strict donor funding rules have prevented monies donated for Sudan being diverted to Kenya, even in times of great need, such as the Turkana famine of 1999. The Turkana, unaware of the donor "rules" but very aware of the perceived inequality, see themselves as being treated unfairly. The resulting friction and tension between the two "communities" - local people and aid workers - has resulted in violent conflict. The project is due to begin this month using UNDP funds, starting off with the building of a secondary school, followed by training on the management of water boreholes and conflict management, Lund told IRIN. Currently the nearest secondary schools are located between 90 and 120 km from Lokichokio town, making them inaccessible and leading to universal drop-out rates, and low levels of education. "We are trying to put something back into Lokichokio after all these years. They hosted our operation, they are entitled to some kind of benefit," said Ben Parker, spokesman for the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan.