Displaying items by tag: Kenya

In Kenya a group of local Muslims alerted twenty, mostly Christian, construction workers to an attack by a jihadist fundamentalist group. The workers were building a hospital when the Muslims warned them to leave the site quickly and helped them do so. The area is usually very hostile towards Christians, and believers who come from other areas for work or ministry face harassment and are continuously targeted by al-Shabaab attacks. Pray for God’s protection over those who took this bold move.

Franciscan friar Peter Tabichi, a science teacher in Kenya, won this year's $1million Global Teacher Prize. Not only is Peter an excellent teacher, he also gives 80% of his earnings to deprived students living in a region of severe drought and famine. He teaches high-schoolers in a school with no library or laboratory, and only one computer with limited internet access. Many students are orphans or come from a single-parent home. Tabichi views his award as a big win for Africa and all teachers and students who struggle every day with so many challenges. He will not keep the money for himself, but will use it to improve his school and feed the poor. ‘I intend to give it back to society; I intend to come up with projects that will seek to solve the problems facing the school and the community.'

An assembly of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) opened in Kenya's capital with a minute’s silence as delegates stood under the dark cloud cast by a plane crash that killed 157 people, including UN staff working for several different agencies. Through the week, as the identities of more victims were reported, heartache rippled through the conference halls. Students at Kenyatta University mourned the deaths of a lecturer and the director of teacher professional development. Hundreds of lives will not be the same as they mourn. Meanwhile Boeing faces further questions over the safety of its 737 Max 8 jets, now grounded after the second fatal crash in months. See

Catholic charity CAFOD is asking communities not to become divided after al-Shabaab attacked the DusitD2 hotel complex in Nairobi on 15 January. CAFOD's Catherine Ogolla described the attacks as ‘horrifying and worrying’. She explained, ‘What terrorists of any type want to do is to divide communities and sow violence. Therefore, all people must stand together for peace and unity in this time of trouble, sending the message out that any form of violent terror will not succeed; will not divide the Kenyan nation’. President Kenyatta said 700+ people were evacuated during the security operation, all terrorists were eliminated, and the country is safe. He urged Kenyans to ‘go back to work without fear’. Sixteen Kenyans, a Briton, and an American (a survivor of 9/11) are among the 21 dead, and 28 are in hospital. See also

The International Justice Mission (IJM) requests our prayers for continued positive momentum in Kenya to bring about reforms that will curb the rise in police violence against the country’s poorest citizens. Dozens of people were killed or have disappeared at the hands of police in 2018, and Kenyan leaders will meet with IJM and other human rights organisations in the new year to develop strategies to address police brutality. Pray for effective reforms that will transform law enforcement from a source of fear into a force for good in Kenya. Human rights organisations now want a task force to be formed, to investigate extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.

Hundreds of millions of the poorest people in the developing world are abused by police who extort bribes and brutalise innocent citizens, or are held in abusive pre-trial detention. In many countries, parents teach their children to run from the police to stay safe from harm, rather than running to them for help. Recently IJM received a prayer request from the Kenya team which facilitates dialogues with the family members of victims of extrajudicial killings. These dialogues create an opportunity for communities to share the realities of police abuse, bringing attention to the issue and creating an opportunity for leaders to recognise the need for change and improved policing. Please pray that the stories of these families will inspire leaders to take the necessary steps to ensure that corrupt police no longer abuse their power, but protect the citizens of Kenya.

IJM has released a Freedom Sunday promo video to media houses, churches, and the general public in Kenya. We have been asked to pray for a positive reception and widespread engagement from the Kenyan church. This video is unique in bringing together leaders from a variety of Christian denominations (including Catholic, Anglican and evangelical) to speak with one voice about the role of the church in addressing police abuse in Kenya. Pray that many churches will participate in Freedom Sunday, and that members will be moved to help vulnerable families in their communities who have suffered from police abuse. Pray for an unprecedented number of churches to dedicate Sunday 23 September to ending slavery and helping to rescue every child, woman and man living in slavery.

At the time of writing Theresa May is visiting Kenya. There is a desire for both countries to develop trust and trade in the future. On her visit the PM was joined by several ministers and 29 business representatives from various industries. We can pray that her visit will initiate and bolster improved post-Brexit trade and cultural ties between the nations. Many believe that in the past Britain has not treated Kenya with equality, but rather as a bully, while the Chinese have humbly generated business: statistics show that China has dwarfed UK imports to Kenya over the last three decades. Pray for the West to rethink foreign policy. One of the Kenya-UK partnership agreements was a commitment to improve lives of people living with disability.

In Kenya, politics and ethnic rivalry go hand in hand. On 31 May president Uhuru Kenyatta, opposition leader Raila Odinga, and their deputies exchanged hugs and apologies, cementing their pledge to promote unity after a fractious and bloody election. The unusual scene unfolded at the country's annual national prayer meeting, eight months after Kenyatta's re-election in a poll that divided the nation and left at least 92 dead, according to rights groups. ‘We have said nasty things against each other, and today I ask forgiveness and apologise,’ said Kenyatta. ‘Never again shall a Kenyan die because of an election. On my own behalf and that of all those behind me, I tender my apology’, said Odinga, whose supporters were killed by police during protests.

A dam burst in Kenya on 9 May after heavy rain, causing huge destruction and killing at least forty people. The breach happened on farmland 120 miles northwest of Nairobi. The dead are thought to include children and women trapped in mud. The Kenyan Red Cross says it has rescued some 40 people so far, and over 2,000 people have been left homeless. There are fears that the death toll could rise as the search-and-rescue operation continues. The Patel dam, one of three reservoirs owned by a large-scale farmer, broke its walls and swept away a primary school and hundreds of homes downstream, following the heavy rains that have been pounding the country. The toll now brings to 162 the number of people who have died countrywide as a result of the rains since March, according to official statistics. More than 220,000 people have had their homes destroyed.