This is written by my friend and co-worker Kayla on the current situation:
I just spent several hours calling many of our friends in Kenya to inquire about their wellbeing amist the chaos and violence. It did my heart good to hear them as up until this point we’ve been unable to reach many of them. Turns out that 2am (11am in Kenya) is an excellent time to reach them, ha. Here’s the latest report:
Everyone is living in fear of what will happen this Thursday. The opposition leader, Raila, has called for a million man march in protest of the presidential election in which he lost. The current government under President Kibaki has banned all such protests and plans to thwart all plans. The word is that police have been given the order to “shoot to kill” anyone who tries to get to Uhuru park downtown where the march will begin. Police will be out in full force. The march is then planned to walk (all million people) from downtown to the State House, which is the headquarters of the current President. According to Raila, his people plan to storm the State House and take over by force. This has the potential of getting much worse than we’ve already seen.
Currently, no one is allowed anywhere in downtown Nairobi and business and daily life has come to a standstill. Some reports say that the Kenyan government has declared war on the slums, such as Kibera and Mathare. Yesterday they were patrolling all roads and no one was allowed in our out of Kibera. This means no food is available at all. People are bunkered in their homes fearing the nearby gunfire and praying for peace in this land. There are lots of people dying and the constant cloud of tear gas choking others out.
One of the most gruesome stories circling is that the gangs are traveling from home to home breaking in, looting, then asking to see the ID cards of all in the family. If they discover they are of the oppossing tribe(s), they are severely beaten and some are shot and killed.
The Kibera protesters are found fighting police, raiding homes, looting shops, and chanting “No Raila, No peace” meaning they will not be peaceful until Raila is the President. They are desperate and feel like they have nothing to lose, so they’re willing to lose their life for this cause.
The latest news is that the electoral commissioner has just admitted to swearing in President Kibaki under great pressure. This confirms the many suspensions of corruption in the voting results. The US Ambassador as well as political officials from many other countries are now involved in the investigation and ongoing communication with Kenyan officials. The goal is peace in this war-torn land.
As I watch all of this unfold on TV, I see very familiar sites and it’s hard to believe that this is really happening. Videos of our neighborhood and familiar landmarks around Nairobi are all overf the news. As you can imagine, this hits close to home for me. I fear for the safety of loved ones in Kenya. But I am confident that the Lord is still on His Throne! I will continue to stand in the gap and intercede on their behalf. Thank you for joining us in prayer in this crucial hour.
If you want to know more about what is happening, check out CNN or BBC or the other various news websites. There you will find articles, pictures and videos covering the violence.
Thanks again for standing with me in prayer over the nation of Kenya!
