Kenyan photographer

How are things here? There is violence still in Rift Valley and

Kisumu. Mombasa is much better now. The problem as been tribalism

has sipped in to Nairobi . Last week there was tension near Ngong

hills as communities armed themselves in fear that they would be

attacked. My parents live in Ngong. Most Kenyans are just tired of

all thats going on. Personally I have decided to pray more and to

trust in God. The situation seems so hopeless without God in the

picture. I have stopped being so angry at our leaders and decided to

be the change I want. To be more tolerant of other people and to pray

and trust God.

Our church leaders seem to have stepped up. They have been vocal

about issues of peace and justice. They have even called for people

who were involved in acts of violence to repent. I think most people

are beginning to listen to the church. I believe it the Christians

who will eventually make the biggest difference.

In my work in Kibera I have seen so much suffering. Whether it's the

Kikuyus or Luos. I have seen a 13 year old girl shot dead by the

police. I have taken pictures that have remained etched in my mind.

I have also gotten to understand a little about the complexity of the

situation. There is so much injustice and poverty in Kenya that the

poor feel very hopeless. They don't have any hope in the leaders who

rule us. They have no hope for tomorrow. When someone doesn't have

hope then they have nothing to lose. When you are extremely poor then

you have nothing to lose and fear nothing. That is one of the

problems with Kenya.

At times I guess things get so dark before the light shines through. I

believe that our friends in Chapel Hill are praying with us. I know

that God hasn't forgotten us and he will come through for Kenya.

Caravan of Hope

I had promised to write and let you know how you can help us in these difficult days. On Thursday last week, a number of pastors met asking - "What more can the men & women of God do in our present crisis? What more can the church do?" After much discussion they agreed to do 5 important things within the next 1-3 months.

1. Mobilize the church to spiritually cleanse this nation.
Before the election several politicians engaged the help of a well-known witchdoctor from Tanzania, to come and pray over the towns and provinces they were claiming victory over.  The witchcraft was conducted in Kisumu, Eldoret, Nairobi and Mombasa - the very epi-centers of the violence we have experienced. What demonic influence did that act unleash upon this nation? How do we close the floodgate or portal that he opened up? And what of the floodgates that have been opened out by the bloodletting, the killing and the burning of churches?

Our politicians will broker for peace; the business community to restart business, but only the church can cleanse this nation spiritually. If we do not do so - people will turn back to the old ways, charms and witchcraft for spiritual protection against the evil that has been unleashed.

In preparation for the spiritual cleansing, Christians will be called to a concerted, unified time of fasting and prayer.

2. Mobilize churches to take in Internally Displaced People.
Nakuru is full, and cholera is a real risk. Tigoni got 7,000 new IDP's last week because of new threats to certain tribes. It is the same all around the country. We need to open up our church doors, and allow these houses of God to be 'shelters' in this hour of need. Let people associate the Church with mercy and help. If we play safe with our buildings, or do not want the inconvenience - God may well declare 'Icabod'.

But what if a church is not an ideal set-up for IDP? Compared with where they are staying right now, almost all our churches are much better places. Karura Community Church shared their story. They are in a tent, with prefab Sunday School buildings, but they still took in 250 people. God has blessed them in amazing ways as a result.

  a. A borehole has now been installed for them since
     they did not have enough water for the IDP's.

  b. Someone has erected a fence around their property
     to help define the grounds for the IDP's.

  c. They are not well known in Runda and had intended
     to reach out to the community and increase their
     visibility this year; but because they took in the
     IDP's, the Runda Welfare Association wrote to all
     the homes in Runda asking them to visit Karura and
     help the IDP's. In one fell stroke they are now
     known in all the homes in Runda in a very positive
     light.

  d. The rural villages along Limuru/Banana road used
     to say Karura is for rich folks'. But because
     they took in the IDP's, many residents in the area
     have reviewed their perception of the church, and
     have been visiting to help.

  e. KP&L [Kenya Power and Light?] also installed a
     3-phase electrical connection to help them have
     more power.

We can all try and do more for the internally displaced people. Many do not even want to "stay" in a camp, they just want help to go home squared. Many others are pleading for a little help and capital to rent a room for 3 months, and to restart up their business ventures asap. What can each church do?

3. Use the media to speak a message of hope to the nation.
There are far too many negative stories in the paper, and not enough stories of Christians helping others; stories of grace, etc. We will use the media (even if it means purchasing space) to tell positive stories, give pastoral letters, mobilize the churches to act as one, etc. We shall also work to have a voice in the local community FM stations, especially in the rural areas.

4. Mobilize the church to community networking.
One church told how, when pamphlets started going around threatening people of a certain community, how it had called together all the church leaders in the community and agreed they would not allow the community to be ruled by fear. So the leaders went out into the community and started encouraging people on the streets, meeting places, etc to reject division, embrace tolerance, and actively reach out to one another . . . and it worked. They then teamed up with the DO, Chief, etc and have instituted a community program to make people positively aware on what their community will stand for. We can network other churches and interested parties for peace.

5. Mobilize the church for a Caravan of Hope.
The pastors agreed to mobilize 200-500 pastors from all over Kenya to conduct a Caravan of hope march from Mombasa to Nairobi to Nakuru to Eldoret to Kisumu, visiting all the hot-spots, conducting cleansing services,counseling the traumatized, bringing food and supplies and hope to the displaced, comforting the bereaved, healing the sick.

Because this is a statement by the church, on a national scale, hopefully ministering to the whole nation, the desire will be to mobilize as many pastors as possible, to dress in collars, and to minister together as a sign of unity, doing that which only the church can do. 500 ministers together would speak to this nation.

The caravan will take a week from Mombasa to Kisumu. This is not a physical march, but a caravan of vehicles. The caravan will mobilize the local pastors of these places, and as the church of Kenya, commission them to go after the cleansing, and cleanse other areas in their province, hence covering a much wider area.

We are also suggesting that the "Caravan of Hope" mobilize funds and rebuild the AOG church that was burnt down in the Rift Valley, plus build a memorial for the many who died there as they sought shelter in the house of God.

Secretariat - To make all this possible, it was suggested that a secretariat be set up with the sole purpose of mobilizing the church and planning logistics. The secretariat will be led by those pastors who are willingly giving up their usual church work to focus on this single task alone (because they cannot ably fulfill their church responsibilities AND ALSO run the secretariat, without burning out).

The purpose of the secretariat will not be to highlight any particular church or denomination, but to mobilize the goodwill and participation of as many churches and ministers as possible, so we can act together as the church in Kenya. Once this work is done, the secretariat will disband. Work will begin immediately with those already available.

I will serve as a point person at the secretariat as my co-pastors have graciously freed me to mobilize others. Already 30 members of Chapel have also volunteered to serve full-time at the secretariat. Several computers and office equipment/desks have also been donated. We are presently looking for offices to set up this week.

Can I plead with you to be help us with this effort? Our biggest need will be funds to mobilize the whole church, and funds to care for and feed the displaced people we take in or minister to. We also need you to pray - mobilizing the church without falling into the battle of disunity & personal agenda's will take the Lord . . . but we must try, and we must believe that the church of Christ can rise above that for the sake of the nation. Please help if you can.

[Reader: if you would like to assist the church of Kenya in rising to this challenge, you can send a check payable to the nonprofit (501c3) organization, Africa Rising (PO Box 16964 Chapel Hill, NC, 27516), with "Caravan of Hope" in the memo line. Africa Rising will send the funds in their entirety to the Kenyan pastor who wrote this blog entry.]

A Kenyan woman

Thanks Pastor Jim for the continued prayer for our country, we are truly greatful and know that God will come through for us. yesterday the planned rally kinda did not take place because it rained the whole day till around one pm so people were able to work in the better part of the morning. We pray that the situation will be okay soon.

Kenyan Director of a micro-finance nonprofit

I wish to thank you for your continued concern and support during this very difficult moment in Kenya’s history. We have been a peaceful Country in a generally troubled region and people sort of took the peace for granted.

The country is now battered almost to a pulp and blood spilt with vengeance, senseless killings and wanton destruction. Markets, food stores and shops have been looted. Hospitals are dysfunctional and health centers incapacitated by riots and barricades. The violence, death and destruction witnessed in the Country for the last couple weeks has jolted the Nation into conscience and every body is now craving normalcy.

While peace is slowly returning to all affected parts of the Country, the impact of the riots has been devastating. Hundreds of people have been killed turning thousands of innocent children into helpless orphans and over one million people have been displaced, becoming internal refugees over night.

The impact of the riots is most felt in the micro and small business sector. Over 1 million small businesses were looted and or burnt down destroying the only source of income to millions of Kenyans. Most of the fighting and destruction occurred in slum areas in Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru and Kericho in Rift Valley. These regions are home to over 70% of [our nonprofit's] clients and as you can imagine almost all of our
clients in these regions have been affected by the riots. Only one region- (Mount Kenya) which is home to about 20% of [our] clients was spared the violence. The economy in this safe region is now getting stretched as the residents have to now house the displaced population.

We have recently completed auditing the riot’s impact on our clients and as of yesterday about 4,900 of our clients had been badly affected by the riots:

-- About 1,532 of our clients were displaced and both their homes and business premises burnt down. This population is currently housed in church compounds and police stations.

-- Another 2,479 clients had their business premises burnt down or looted leaving them with no source of income at all.

-- 833 clients had their homes looted or burnt down and about 56 clients are missing and feared dead or critically injured.

We arrived at these figures through a survey being administered at holding grounds, police stations, and through reliable reports from groups and community leaders. Our staff and local group officials have also been committed to conducting field assessments. The biggest tasks at the moment are to feed and house the displaced people, and to finance the reconstruction of the small businesses that were affected in order to enable the people to reclaim their source of income. In addition, [our nonprofit] is now helping other [micro-finance institutions] audit their clients.

[Our nonprofit] has formed the following committees to address the above issues:

-- A humanitarian committee that is working with the International Red Cross to provide food, shelter and medical care to the victims.

-- A business reconstruction committee that is working with the affected clients to re finance and rebuild the small businesses that were looted and/or burnt down.

-- A compliance committee that is studying the legal and contractual aspects of the affected loans to arrive at the best policy action.

Thus, we ask for your continued patience as many loan repayments will be late, and it even may be impossible for some loans to be repaid in full at all. Thank you for your patience as we work hard to address all of these difficult issues, to serve our borrowers and help them recover, and to repay loans as quickly and as much as is possible in the coming months.

[note from Jim T: if you would like to make a loan (or donation) through this micro-finance nonprofit, send me an email and I will give you the contact information.]

American woman living in Kenya

Starting Tuesday-they are/were calling for more rally's-here we go again!!!

So far everything has been fine.

In church Sunday we really focused again on praying for the country and the situation([deleted] is using it all for a wonderful sermon series). Things that we were asked to pray for:
1) unified prayers to the Lord-that we would be heard as one big voice.
2) Power and strength to go on, as people are tired and discouraged, etc. and they serve the displaced.
3) For the church and its leaders so they will know how to lead and be a voice...that they continue to know how to respond.

During prayer time we prayed in pairs and the Kenyan gentleman I sat next to and prayed with-we both talked about the sadness we felt for Kenya but he asked for prayer for "Softening of hearts esspecially Rilia's and Kibabki's. As the talks go on this week....

Kenyan pastor #3

This country never really addresses these issues [tribalism, poverty, and spiritual crisis] but keeps sweeping them under the carpet. Right now there are multiple calls for “Peace, Peace”, but as has been said “Peace that is not founded on Justice cannot last. And Justice at the expense of Peace is a terrible burden”.

But Kenyans will likely sweep this one under the carpet too, and not deal with the real issues. So at the next elections it will resurface again . . . or sooner than that, and tip us over the abyss that was Rwanda.

Anyway – we now have a huge humanitarian crisis we are trying to deal with. As a church we responded quickly, and people were very generous . . . but this will be a long-term crisis because so many were displaced and all their earthly possessions burnt down. Sigh.

A Kenyan man

Thanks for your prayers. There seems to be a glimmer of hope. My prayer is that we get a lasting solution now that there is some peace.

The president named half of his cabinet today evening and that has stirred some violence in Mathare and other areas. Ngong road was clearer today evening at an earlier hour than usual considering its a working day. It seemed that people were rushing out of the city centre.

We still need you to pray with us.

Barikiweni sana

American woman living in Kenya

All continues to be well here. No violence or rally today. Life as a rule seems back to normal for many. Although traffic is still light and the road side stands still fewer and have less than normal at them to sell, etc. All rallies have been cancelled. Praise the Lord!

The real issue now is the humanitarian crisis! We just need to keep praying. It is working ....as things are remaining calm :) We really need to pray that the tribalism will dissolve and people will go back to loving each other and just see themselves as Kenyans! As I have talked with the staff at [my nonprofit] the last 2 days, this is [what they] really want, and for the government leaders to work together.

Another thing that you all can be praying for is taking the sponsored children back to school next week. We really need guidance and wisdom on this for safety. The problem is the driver and the kids are all Kiyku and they have to go thru very sensitive areas and we fear for their lives and that it will not be safe to leave them there.

A Kenyan with a nonprofit (#2)

A text message received this morning:

Sorry [it has] taken a while for me to reply to your email but i am safe and i can say disheartened with what has happened in my country. we are all safe but cautious as we do not want to take any risk in doing anything. we are not able to run our office fully but things are cooling down slowly. 

Please do thank your community for the prayers and i will send their support and love to all in Kibera.

Asante

A Kenyan woman (#4)

I wish you were close enough for me to give you a hug and maybe even cry a little. We are grateful that things are slowly getting back to normal and the lootings, killings and burning of homes has somehow ceased. We were talking in the office today and [my boss] was sharing, saying that these past events have made her realize just how important our country is . There was no fuel in Uganda,Rwanda and even in Congo since trucks were not allowed on the road. We are thankful that you and many of the people in your church have taken up the burden of praying for our beloved country. We believe that there will be no more violence and that God will heal us and help us to forgive each other and move on. Thank you.

A Kenyan woman (#3)

Thank you so much for your prayers.

My family and i are fine and we thank God but some people close to us are not. People have been chased out of their homes because of the tribe they belong to . It's so sad to see what this country has turned to. Many have been killed and others displaced. Only God will help us.

There is a sense of calm as we have been able to move around. We are trusting on God to sort out this situations since the President and opposition leaders have not come out to sort out there problems. It's so sad that this 2 people have so much power to even cause instability in the country.

As you pray please as God for brokenness of this two leaders.

Thank you soooo much for you continuous support.

A Kenyan travel agent

We would like to update you on the current situation in our country Kenya. We bear in mind that you have been getting updates through the press. However we thought that you would like to hear from us. This is what is happening on the ground at the moment.

¨ The three political parties have agreed that there is a political problem requiring an immediate attention from all the parties. This state of affairs was everybody’s wish. The best antidote is for the three (probably all the parties who fielded presidential candidates) parties to initiate a dialogue. The ODM (Opposition Party) has kind of softened their condition for negotiations from requiring the president to publicly resign, to admitting that the electoral process of tallying the votes was flawed. President Kibaki of PNU, the supposed ruling party, issued a peace plan yesterday, confirming that he is ready for negotiations including inviting opposing parties to be part of the next government, pointing at the idea of a Government of National Unity. ODM’s reaction was, they are ready for negotiations, on condition that they are brokered by an internationally credible and friend of the Kenyan Community. African Union is a preference. America’s top most official for Africa is due in Kenya today for the same negotiations. Rev Desmond Tutu of South Africa, the laureate Nobel Prize Winner, to broker for peace is in the country and yesterday he held a meeting with ODM leaders. This morning he held a meeting with President Kibaki. We are yet to know the outcome

¨ The members of parliament – elect from both parties, ODM and PNU are in the process of forming a peace restoration forum called AMANI (peace) to initiate peace and reconciliation in the country.

¨ The major towns including Nairobi are slowly realising calm and return-to-life. In the four towns affected, namely, Nairobi, Kisumu, Eldoret and some parts of Mombasa, as of this morning when we spoke to friends and relatives, they confirmed marked improvement in terms of peace, businesses slowly reopening and people sleeping in their homes, a thing which was impossible due to indiscriminate attacks on homesteads witnessed in the last couple days.

¨ The effects of the violence in the affected areas, particularly the towns mentioned above are far reaching. What has happened in the last three days has left people homeless, bleeding, dead and traumatized, not to mention embittered. It is evident that Kenyans have resolved to play a part in one way or another in bringing reconciliation to the affected – we are all affected after all. The most affected are women and children. That is very sad. The burning of people in a church where they went to seek refuge was the most unfortunate thing and has left a scar in every religious faithful in the country and farther afield. Kenya being 80% practicing Christians, coupled by other religions, no doubt have been touched.

¨ On a positive note, some parts of the country, the larger Kenya, are as peaceful as ever before, but ofcos [?] extremely concerned at what they are reading or hearing about their fellow brothers and sisters.

¨ The administration has done a commendable job. Because of the fear which has gripped the citizens, businessmen have been fearful of running their businesses normally, as a result of which supply of essential services has been affected and especially to the neighbouring countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and DRC. These countries have gone through what we are experiencing in this country, may be in greater magnitude, and they are faithfully praying for us.

¨ On a positive note, Tourism has not been affected as much, since violence is not targeted at the foreigners but if the situation continues, we have no doubt that there will be cancellations. All the airports are operating as normal, hotels are still busy including the beach hotels as of this morning report, game parks are as peaceful as before and where necessary, the government is providing both ground and aerial surveillance. Forecasts in the tourism arrivals indicate a very busy 2008. May the will of God be done.

¨ Questions have been raised. Was the violence entirely as a result of election results? This is because the skirmishes witnessed are characterized by, looting of property, sometimes indiscriminate killing of innocent people, including children, its happening only in just some parts of the country, targeting of some community suspected to have voted for the president… What is apparent is that, about 40% of Kenyan population is the youth and 60% of that number, even more is unemployed. During the electoral campaigns, the candidates, presidential, parliamentary and civic, spent humongous amounts of money as handouts to the youth to lure them. In other words, they were used to handouts. After the elections, two scenarios seemed to have followed. No more hand outs and in some cases their preferred candidates across the board lost, creating a polarized situation among them. Any utterances by their preferred candidates especially the defeated wings, get them charged and violent. As result, the youth have been 90% the cause of the problems.

¨ Kenyans are hopeful that the situation can be averted and they have moved swiftly to do that through prayer, offering refuge to homeless, offering humanitarian assistance and speaking and walking the peace talk. We are glad to know that you are part of this mission and thank you for your kindness. Talks and negotiations are a part of the problem solving but also important is for us to know we can be part of the solution. It is upon us to reach out to one another irrespective of ethnic inclinations, as we reflect on the words of our first stanza of out national anthem, which is a prayer O God of all creation, Bless this our land and nation. Justice be our shield and defender, May we dwell in unity, Peace and liberty. Plenty be found within our borders.

Kenyan-American visiting Kenya

This message is from a Kenyan living in the US, but visiting Kenya at the time of the election.

There is the ugly side and of course that's probably all you guys are hearing about in the media. But there's good too. Kenyans are showing their support by making huge donations of food and clothing to help the thousands of displaced people. So there's hope, we haven't completely lost the plot. And today, people went to work and for the most part ignored the call for the opposition rally. Not because they support Kibaki or oppose Raila but simply because they want their lives back and they refused to be used as pawns in whatever political game our so-called leaders are playing. That's been the high point of my day today.

American woman living in East Africa

This message is from an American woman about to return to East Africa after a Christmas holiday.

We have been in touch with our family and friends in Kenya. They are all safe, and none of them are in areas where violence has broken out. However, because of the situation, there are shortages of food and it is difficult to access money - all of the banks have removed money from the ATMs for fear of looting. One of our friends described it like being under "house arrest" as people are being advised not to leave their houses. Today was the calmest day since the election results were announced. Please pray:
- that the situation would continue to improve and that peace would be restored
- that the political leaders would reach an agreement and not incite people to violence
- for all the people who have been displaced, that they would be able to access food, water, and other basic necessities

Pastor #2

Thanks for your prayers for our nation. Praise the Lord with us… my family finally made it safely home! All are in good shape and I can only thank God for His mercy to us – I felt like I had received them back from the dead! One of our other pastors had family members in an even worse situation in a town called Eldoret, and most of them were able to fly out to safety as well. It’s possible that God allowed us to go through this so that the crisis of many in our nation would not be theoretical but highly personal. We still don’t know how things will turn out and appreciate your continual prayer.

§ The reality on the ground is that things could get a lot worse. The political crisis conceals many undercurrents of ethnocentrism; and there is much evil afoot in our nation. Please pray that those planning evil will be confounded; that God will arise in Kenya and scatter the enemies of peace.

§ The political situation is still unresolved. Continue to pray for a softening by both sides. We need the Holy Spirit’s wisdom to bring about a win-win solution here that allows justice to not only be done but to be seen to be done.

§ As the churches work together with non-governmental bodies to deal with the social crisis, we face a large scale humanitarian crisis. Widespread rioting in the informal settlements left those living there without food, water, medication etc. Many have been displaced from their homes in several parts of the country. Fears are that we will have increased lawlessness if things are not resolved soon. We have appealed to our congregations to donate food, cooking utensils, clothes, shoes, counseling and medical services to those in need. Many are chipping in. Pray that God will multiply what we give and make it enough

With all this said, there are many stories of greatness and heroism that are very encouraging. Ordinary people who are hosting others in their homes and giving time, sweat and possessions to help others in need. Within these challenging times are opportunities for greatness. Pray that many Christians will arise and be known for their compassionate response.

Kenyan pastor (#3)

This might give you an idea of the sort of thing we are
trying to deal with. We are very close to this camp, so [our]
churches decided to "adopt". It and care for as many as we
can, but they are far too many. When we started there were
about 300 families...by the end of the first day they had
swelled up to 600 (maybe about 5,000 ppl). We decided to try
and find 100 vulnerable mothers with children, and focus on
finding members homes to take them in. We have been able to
place about 30 such in our homes,and [my household has] 2
mothers with us now - one with a week old infant. Food
distribution however is more liberally distributed. 

Our members are bringing food items to the church, then we
distribute it at the Jamuhuri showground to the families we
can. We are also trying to find cooking utensils - maybe a
pot per family, but fuel (firewood or charcoal) is impossible.
Yesterday one member brought a van-load of boiled potatoes -
we almost had a riot as we sere trying to feed the children
only. The Hindu Council also gave 1.5 tons of maize meal...
but how do we cook it? We are in the process of distributing
it via an interchurch initiative we have. We have
purchased another 100,000/= worth of maize meal from a miller
in Thika, but that went in a jiffy. 

Most of the families are out of the cold now, being housed in
the showground pavilions and showrooms, but we are talking
about lending [one our large tents] to the Red Cross to
house people in more vulnerable areas. We may also bring down
our Youth tent if need be. 

Yesterday the govt evacuated some people out of Eldoret
(which has been the worst killing field) using army buffalos,
and a convoy of about 100 vehicles (busses,lories and salon
cars). e do not know what will happen to them once they arrive
in Nairobi. Hopefully most can be absorbed by their extended
families, but some may fall thru the cracks . . . so we are
trying to put together a response to that need also.

Part of the pending crisis no-one is addressing right now is...
what next? How do these people get their livelihood again when
the fighting is finally over? We have asked World Relief to
help us help some of these families with start up capital on
a small, micro-enterprise basis . . . maybe about 100$ each.
We will also try and organize for those who can go back to
the rural areas to do so. Grace Community Church - thank you
so much for your offer to help. Maybe we can use the funds
towards this end. For others who may wish to help, please
let me know and we will do what's possible to assist you get
help to us.

The rally today did not escalate. Thanks for praying. The
Attorney General has called for a recount (we don't know yet
if this is the Govt position or his personal call). We are
waiting for the president to address the nation on this.

God bless.

An American in Kenya

Thanks for your prayer for Kenya. 

The Attorney General has called for an independent recount
of the national election results. The leaders are being
called upon from inside and outside the country to dialogue.
One group of our missionaries reported that there were
thousands of people marching to their small town in western
Kenya for demonstrations. Thank God, it was peaceful.
A very large convoy of vehicles under police escort from
Eldoret arrived in Nakuru with hundreds of displaced people.
Otherwise Nakuru carried on business as usual. However,
there is noticeable tension everywhere among the people. 

[A community in Nakuru] is among the worst affected by
violence. [A pastor there] said only two families came
to church on New Years Day, normally a well-attended
service. [A Kenyan woman]is trying to get people from
the various groups in her community to dialogue rather
than resort to violence. Pray that the church will be
the light of Christ during these dark days. 

Rift Valley Academy [for missionary children] has now
pushed back the opening of school until Saturday,
January 19. Hopefully this will allow for things to
settle down and for travel to be safer. 

There are many Kenyans and people like you [you who
are reading this blog] around the world praying for
this country. Please continue to pray for peace in 
Kenya and for the leaders that they are willing to
dialogue and find a solution about the issue of
this election. 

A Kenyan director of a nonprofit

Although ethnic divisiveness is no stranger to Kenyan politics,
no one anticipated the level of violence that has engulfed
Kibera and much of Kenya.  The situation on the ground is
deteriorating rapidly as each day passes.  Stores in
Nairobi are looted and people, particularly the poor, are
running out of food.  Food prices are soaring. Large swaths
of Kibera are burned to the ground. Criminal opportunists
have joined the fray and there are incidents of wanton violence. 
Yesterday we received reports that a group of community
members repelled a gang of thugs from looting and burning
our center.  

It should be noted, however, that those perpetrating the
violence in Kibera number perhaps in the hundreds.  Over
700,000 people, half of whom are under the age of 15,
reside in the slum. Nevertheless, the level of hatred and
divisiveness throughout Kenya today is unprecedented. 
People are afraid, and those with the means are fleeing
from Kibera and other multi-ethnic communities racked by
violence. Each day of violence besets the next and further
solidifies more ethnic enmity. 

The violence must stop now. Efforts to unite Odinga and
Kibaki and encourage these leaders to lead and bring a
halt to the violence have thus far been futile. None of
these leaders have been on the ground in Kibera since
the violence began.

Kenyan woman #2

We are earnestly seeking God in the mess that has just hit our country. Please pray with us for :

1. the killing to stop - God's people should not turn against each other, for we have far greater enemies that we should be fighting.

2. the truth would come out - the God that we serve is a God of truth and justice! we should not stand for any form of injustice or corruption..May God give us the strength to deal with whatever truth comes out, and the wisdom to move forward.

3. God's word over Kenya, as a mighty nation that will intercede for the continent, would not fail and that Christians would raise a standard and be strong in prayer, claiming these things for our nation!

Our hearts are so saddened but God is on the throne! Thank you for loving and praying with us.

Kenyan woman #1

Overall, Ongata Rongai and its environs is quite peaceful. However, one teacher's parents who live near Masai land had their home burnt down and her elderly parents were both badly beaten and molested. The police came just in time and they rushed them to hospital where they are recovering but badly shaken.

Currently as you may have watched on the international press Kenya is in chaos. However some places are more affected than others.

Our greater concern is the country at large where there are clashes and killings. Please pray with us that the protagonists in the unfolding political impasse will agree to talk and that their followers will heed their call for cessation of hostilities. For a greater understanding the crises we are facing is as follows:

There are tens of thousands of displaced people in the nation and untold others trying to flee. Fuel and food supplies are lacking in different parts of the country which is creating much havoc and fear.

The three main issues that face the nation at this time are:

• The political power struggle between the two primary parties which is fostering great instability in the government and tension in the masses. There are definite signs of corruption in the ballot counting of the recent election and the two political opponents are haggling over matters of power. Thus, they are not paying attention to the needs of the nation.

• The social/humanitarian needs of the populous are not being responded to by the government. Consequently, there have been in meetings between leaders of different relief and development organizations such as Red Cross, World Vision, Food for the Hungry, and World Concern to assess the needs and craft a plan to respond to the basic cares of the internally displaced people. They are securing food stuffs and establishing safe places for the people. They begin their relief response this morning.

• There are meetings going on between certain credible leaders and leaders of different churches and denominations. The leaders have become acutely aware that the churches are not reconciled and have harbored tribal and ethnic biases. If the churches are to be agents of peace and reconciliation for the society, they must be united functionally across denominational and ethnic differences.

I hope that this gives you a clearer picture and helps you know how to pray.

Kenya has seen worse times in the past, and each time Jehovah God has intervened. We know that he will come through for us this time round. However, join us in interceding for our beloved country, Kenya

Request for prayers (pastor #2)

A pastor in Nairobi asks for the following prayers (Jan 3, 2008):

• Please pray for my parents, siblings and eldest daughter who had traveled to a part of the country where there was quite a bit of instability and have not yet been able to return home. We’re hoping they can travel tomorrow and that things will have settled down by then (as you can imagine, this is a source of great concern for me).
  
• Pray also for some of our church members who are also trapped in different parts of the country or like ourselves have family members who are in the line of danger
• Pray for peace & stability in Kenya; our stability greatly affects that of the entire eastern Africa region as we are a major trade route; some of our neighboring countries are already experiencing shortages.
• Pray for reconciliation, especially in the rural areas and informal settlements; our politicians have succeeded in polarizing the country to an extent not seen before.
• Pray that God’s people will be salt & light at this critical time, speaking words of peace and reconciliation.
• Pray for capacity for our relief effort; the local Red Cross is already unable to keep up with the scope of the need. Many are displaced from their homes in the informal settlements and rural areas and have camped in churches and police stations

Request for prayers (pastor #1)

A pastor in Nairobi asks for the following prayers (Jan 2, 2008): 

• Peace in the nation.

• Reconciliation between the communities in the informal
  settlements and rural areas.

• Willingness of the two key political leaders, Mr. Kibaki
  and Mr. Odinga to enter into dialogue and give
  leadership that unites the nation.

• Wisdom for the church leaders and others who are
  working out peace initiatives.

• Provision for food and other items for the displaced people
  living in churches and administrative centers in the coast,
  Rift Valley and western parts of Kenya.

• Healing for those who have been wounded, comfort for
  others who have been bereaved.

• Reconciliation and healing for our nation in this time.

• God's leading for pastors as we try to shepherd our
  communities through this trying time.