Under fire in Kisumu

A British couple working as missionaries in western Kenya have been forced to return to the UK after the escalation of violence in the African nation following the disputed Presidential election.

Graham and Sally Jones are back in the England after two years of working in Kenya’s third city of Kisumu, which is largely inhabited by members of the Luo tribe. Their work involved training up church leaders in Kenya’s Trinity Baptist Church, which has around 40 congregations nationwide. The couple are supported by Guildford Park Church and still hope to return to Kenya if the situation improves.

Opposition city

Graham explained that in the Kisumu region people overwhelmingly backed the opposition leader Raila Odinga, himself a Luo, and many locals saw it as their ‘big chance’ to be represented politically.

He explained how things developed during the time of the poll: ‘When the election was called there was a certain amount of over-excitement in our area because people are very fervent about their politics, and Raila had been in front in most of the opinion polls.

‘It was quite a joyful time as people voted and the local MPs’ results came out on time, but the result of the Presidential election was delayed and delayed.

‘Then on television we kept seeing that the result was dubious, and all the observers from the EU to the African Union said there were irregularities.

Just ten minutes

‘By the time they came to announce the result on the Sunday afternoon everyone was at a fever pitch, before they awarded the election to Kibaki.

Graham said it took just ten minutes for Kisumu to ‘erupt like a volcano’ after the result was declared.

He explained what happened next: ‘Mobs left the two poorer areas in town and headed to the town centre, it was live on television and the reporter was saying, ‘The police don’t know what to do. It was at that point we suddenly realised that this was going to turn more dangerous, and then the next thing we heard was gunfire. We then knew it was going to be a difficult period and people said, “stay put”, so we stayed in the house for 11 days. We could hear the crowds rioting, as about 50 yards behind our house is a slum area where people were gathering and there was shooting, and we could smell the burning of tyres and tear gas.’

God’s protection

‘God was very good to us. The second Sunday afterwards we debated with our pastor on the phone, should we come to church or not and he pleaded “probably not”.

‘On the route we would have taken, four youths were shot that Sunday morning, so we were very grateful for God’s protection.’

In the immediate aftermath of the violence, Graham said that many people felt very scared, and at Graham and Sally’s home congregation of Grace Church in Kisumu, Pastor Sam Oluoch preached on Psalm 121, reminding them that the Lord is their helper in times of trouble.

The church was able to reach out to members of minority tribes who felt threatened by the violence, with many of them seeking refuge in the town’s police station.

Graham says that much of the violence, which is estimated to have left around 1,000 Kenyans dead and 300,000 displaced, is partly down to ethnic divisions, but is also due to more complex underlying political tensions.

Reasons for unrest

He said: ‘Different sections of the country have different reasons to be against the Kikuyus [Kenya’s largest tribe — which has dominated politics and business since independence — which President Kibaki belongs to].

‘So if you take our area, there’s injustice and economic inequality, it’s one of the poorest of the districts and hasn’t had investment during the 40 years of independence, despite having many natural resources. So they are against the Kikuyus.

‘In the central part of the country, the Rift Valley, the Kalenjin tribe had their land taken by the Kikuyus, and so they want their land back.

‘And then in Nairobi the people in the slums who have nothing have turned against the slightly richer shopkeepers who happen to be Kikuyus.

‘The old scores of injustice and economic inequality and land issues have all pitted different tribes across the country against the government, and that’s what’s underlying the inter-ethnic violence. It is at one level different tribes against one another but the reasons for that anti-Kikuyu feeling differ across the country.’

As we continue to see the depressing images of violence on our TV screens, Graham called for Christians to pray for the peace process.

‘We need to pray for success, otherwise the country is likely to slide further towards more violence, more killings, and more displacement’, he said.

‘We also need to pray that on the ground there will be peace and reconciliation in the community, and that’s where the local churches can have a very positive role.’

Rallying call for church

But he also feels the tensions can act as a rallying call to the Kenyan church, for a country which is overwhelmingly ‘Christian’, nominally at least, much corruption exists among those who would call themselves believers.

‘It’s a call to the church really’, he said. ‘Kenya’s had so much Christianity (36% would call themselves evangelicals), but now the country is virtually in civil war.

‘So how deep is our Christianity? People are saying you shouldn’t attack another Kenyan, but they need to understand that theologically behind that, we don’t attack another Kenyan because he is a human being created in the image of God.

‘It’s almost as if we need to get a better theological and Christian understanding of our responsibility as citizens, and that salvation needs to transform lifestyles and attitudes, and the church needs to hear that message.’

The couple were hoping to return to continue their ministry in Kisumu at the end of February, but acknowledge it will be difficult to continue gospel work in Kenya if the violence continues.

‘Until there is political agreement, and that is accepted, tensions could erupt again tomorrow’, Graham concluded.

Under fire in Kisumu

Opposition city

Just ten minutes

God’s protection

Reasons for unrest

Rallying call for church

Ed Beavan

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