For the last
several days, things have been generally quiet here in Nakuru. But
there is no reason to believe that things are peaceful. Everyone is on
edge, scared, wondering what the next disaster will be and where.
Rumors of planned violence abound.
There was another Minister of Parliament killed on Thursday. He was
shot four times in the head by a policeman, within 36 hours of the
first one. These events are highly suspect in the eyes of the
opposition as being straight up assassinations. The policeman that is
being charged with the murder is scheduled to be tried in the High
Court of Nakuru. Yesterday, when they read him the charges, he
expressed surprise at being charged with murder. Oh and get this, in an
“unprecedented move” the media was not allowed to be present in the
chamber for the charge or the cautionary statement. I am smelling the
proverbial rat.
The killing of the MP sparked more riots and unrest in the towns of
Eldoret and Kisumu. We have another mission compound in Kisumu, so it
was really unsettling for the missionaries that were caught away from
home. Some of them even had to spend the night out in the country-side
because it was not safe to go into town. There were “thousands” of
people on and alongside the road. They covered the road with stones in
order to make it impassable. Here is a picture taken by one of the missionaries from Kisumu, showing the road before it was cleaned off.
Sometimes you wonder if Mr. Kofi Annan and the other peacemakers are
kidding themselves. Sometimes you wonder if Democracy will ever work
for a nation that has tribes and all of the prejudices that come with
tribalism. Sometimes you wonder if mankind is any different than it was
4,000 years ago. The hoodlums don’t care if the person that they are
killing is their childhood friend, or even a child for that matter.
Killing him only because his name is not right. The official statistics
put the death toll in the hundreds. I would not be in the least
surprised if it was actually in the thousands. I have heard too many
stories of bodies lying around, getting eaten by dogs and pigs.
How can you have peace in your country if no one in your country has peace in their heart?
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