The Kenya Crisis - A personal account

One of our international staff feels the impact of the current crisis in his homeland - Kenya. This is his diary of his recent home leave.

December 27th 2007 - 5am:

I jump out of bed and urge my wife to do so too. We have to cast our vote. At our local primary, at 5.30am there was already a 300 metre queue. There was a hustle ahead. People were suspicious that a candidate, who had been dishing out money with the hope of securing a parliamentary seat, was trying to cheat old and illiterate voters to vote for him and a Presidential candidate. They insisted that I jump the queue, vote and help the illiterate and the disabled.

I then went to Kisumu where a group of youths kept vigil as the counting proceeded. As we drove, the radio told us our candidate was pulling away from the President, who, by next day, was trailing by over a million votes; everyone around was optimistic. Yet the next results were extraordinary; some surpassing total parliamentary votes, or voters surpassing registered voters in constituencies that are in the President's strongholds.

December 29th 2007:

On the way home from my Grandmother's we saw a group of armed youths running towards us. 'My God' my wife exclaimed 'Honey they are going to kill us and the children'. I switched on the car's full lights, got out so they could see me. 'It's you.' they exclaimed. 'Bwana, they are stealing the election.' 'Things will be fine, the election can't be rigged' I assured them.

December 30th 2007:

Our party was leading with 98 votes to the President's 35. The Chairman of the Electoral Commission appeared, the Commissioner of Police stood behind him. Everyone held their breadth. The first constituency result exceeded what was announced at the polling station. There were protests in the hall. The presiding officer rose to clarify the tally. But the Chairman refused; the paramilitary police created a barrier between him and the public. There was a blackout and the police cleared the hall. When light returned after 10 minutes, the President was declared the winner.

December 31st 2007:

The country was literally on fire, there were bonfires along major roads.

January 3rd 2008:

En route to Kisumu youths armed with crude weapons were extorting money from motorists to let them pass, and searching vehicles to stop members of the President's ethnic community. Using my experience in peace building and conflict resolution, I talked to them about peaceful protest. That everyone has a democratic right to vote anyway he wants and should not be harmed for it. They seemed to listen. But what I saw in Kisumu was horrible; the major supermarkets were looted and burnt. All that remained were shells of buildings.

I went to visit my friend Kamau. He and his siblings are fluent in Dholuo, their parents speak Kikuyu. In them, we saw Kenya's future, where tribe was not important. But all their houses were razed to the ground. They lost all their property in the inferno.

My beloved country was being torn to shreds by politicians who have sewn ethnic passions to protect their wealth and business interests.

January 20th 2008:

It was time to return to work. The roads to Nairobi were blocked. The only way was by air. No one was safe anymore.

Kenyans hunt each other with clubs, machetes and spears like traditional communities hunting wild animals. A civilisation has been destroyed. A national fabric shattered. There is suspicion all over. God's greatest commandment of love your neighbour as you love yourself doesn't hold anymore. Friends have turned into foes and Church leaders have taken sides on the account of ethnicity.

My children attend a multi-ethnic school, they are proud of being Kenyans as my wife and I are from different ethnic communities, and their friends are from other tribes. I dream about the safety of my family, my innocent children.

January 29th 2008:

I am ashamed to be working away whilst my country is currently hosting 300,000 displaced people.

Kenyans require new life after conflict to rebuild their shattered lives. I know that it is possible to rebuild my country once again. I want to teach the essence of peace and love, the value of honesty and integrity.

I got hope last Sunday. During Sunday School my second son led the class in prayer. He prayed that God bring Peace in his country. He still has hope. This hope among people of his age should be protected, nurtured and nourished to grow. It will form the foundation of a future strong Kenya.

Cord is monitoring closely the situation in Kenya and we ask you to pray for our colleague, his family and his country, and for guidance in how best to respond.