Kenyan court jails men who killed UN aid worker
Kenyan court jails men who killed UN aid worker
WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran. Photo: WFP/Rein Skullerud
1 February 2012 – The head of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Josette Sheeran welcomed today the decision by the Kenyan High Court to sentence five men to 56 years in prison each for the murder of a WFP staff member in 2008.
Silence Chirara, a Zimbabwean national, was coordinating WFP’s logistics operation for South Sudan when he was ambushed and killed while driving a UN vehicle in the town of Lokichoggio, in northwest Kenya. He was 37.
“Nothing can be done to replace the life of this dedicated humanitarian and father, but justice has now been allowed to run its course,” WFP said in a statement. “These stiff prison sentences send an important message that those who harm humanitarian workers shall be brought to justice.”
WFP staff members said their thoughts were with Silence’s wife and his two children. “We condemn in the strongest possible terms any attack on humanitarian workers. When action is taken, this serves as a deterrent to groups or individuals who are targeting humanitarian staff in their places of work,” the statement read.
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1 February 2012
WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran Welcomes Sentencing Action For Murder Of WFP Staff Member In Kenya
All of us at the World Food Programme welcome the decision by the Nakuru High Court in Kenya this week to sentence five men to 56 years in prison each for the 2008 murder of our WFP colleague Silence Chirara.
ROME– Nothing can be done to replace the life of this dedicated humanitarian and father, but justice has now been allowed to run its course. These stiff prison sentences send an important message that those who harm humanitarian workers shall be brought to justice.
Our thoughts today are with the wife of Silence and his two children. Silence, a citizen of Zimbabwe, was murdered in the line of duty while helping manage WFP’s food lifeline to South Sudan, as head of WFP’s logistics base in the northwestern Kenyan town of Lokichoggio.
Across the world, WFP staff and other humanitarian workers are dedicating their lives to saving lives in some of the world’s most remote and dangerous places. We condemn in the strongest possible terms any attack on humanitarian workers. When action is taken, this serves as a deterrent to groups or individuals who are targeting humanitarian staff in their places of work.
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About United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
Fighting hunger worldwide
The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.
“In emergencies, we get food to where it is needed, saving the lives of victims of war, civil conflict and natural disasters. After the cause of an emergency has passed, we use food to help communities rebuild their shattered lives.”
WFP is part of the United Nations system and is voluntarily funded.
Born in 1961, WFP pursues a vision of the world in which every man, woman and child has access at all times to the food needed for an active and healthy life. We work towards that vision with our sister UN agencies in Rome — the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) — as well as other government, UN and NGO partners.
In 2011 we aim to reach more than 90 million people with food assistance in more than 70 countries. Around 10,000 people work for the organization, most of them in remote areas, directly serving the hungry poor.
WFP’s five objectives:
- Save lives and protect livelihoods in emergencies
- Prepare for emergencies
- Restore and rebuild lives after emergencies
- Reduce chronic hunger and undernutrition everywhere
- Strengthen the capacity of countries to reduce hunger
WFP’s Mission statement
WFP is the food aid arm of the United Nations system. Food aid is one of the many instruments that can help to promote food security, which is defined as access of all people at all times to the food needed for an active and healthy life. ¹ The policies governing the use of World Food Programme food aid must be oriented towards the objective of eradicating hunger and poverty. The ultimate objective of food aid should be the elimination of the need for food aid.
Targeted interventions are needed to help to improve the lives of the poorest people – people who, either permanently or during crisis periods, are unable to produce enough food or do not have the resources to otherwise obtain the food that they and their households require for active and healthy lives.
Consistent with its mandate, which also reflects the principle of universality, WFP will continue to:
- use food aid to support economic and social development;
- meet refugee and other emergency food needs, and the associated logistics support; and
- promote world food security in accordance with the recommendations of the United Nations and FAO.
The core policies and strategies that govern WFP activities are to provide food aid:
- to save lives in refugee and other emergency situations;
- to improve the nutrition and quality of life of the most vulnerable people at critical times in their lives; and
- to help build assets and promote the self-reliance of poor people and communities, particularly through labour-intensive works programmes.
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> United Nations (UN).
The United Nations was established on 24 October 1945 by 51 countries committed to preserving peace through international cooperation and collective security. Today, nearly every nation in the world belongs to the UN: membership totals 192 countries.
When States become Members of the United Nations, they agree to accept the obligations of the UN Charter, an international treaty that sets out basic principles of international relations. According to the Charter, the UN has four purposes:
- to maintain international peace and security;
- to develop friendly relations among nations;
- to cooperate in solving international problems and in promoting respect for human rights;
- and to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations.
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* The above story is adapted from materials provided by United Nations (UN)
** More information at United Nations (UN)
