Monday, January 28

There is much going on here in Kenya, but we want to assure people we are in no danger in the suburbs of Nairobi. As one friend told me, “We don’t really live in Africa. We live 15 minutes outside of it.” Everything we are seeing is on the news, just as you are seeing it too.

However, things seem to be going from bad to worse. I wish I could put a positive spin on it, but when people are killing one another for the way they were born, it speaks volumes about the situation. Yet it is deeper than just ethnicity. Poverty is playing a huge part in all of this. We don’t see the middle or upper classes involved in any of this. These are the people who have nothing fighting against the people who have just a little bit (so says the BBC).

Several cities and towns in the Rift Valley have erupted into tribal clashes in the last several days. Many have died, and many more are now homeless. One can only pray that it will all come to an end soon because certainly no one has a handle on the situation. The political elite are still preparing for the negotiating table, and this is one positive sign. Yet at this point, those who are fighting are doing so not for political reasons any more. We are pretty new here to be commentators on such matters, but apparently this sort of thing has happened around most elections, as different ethnic groups vie for the best agricultural land whenever there is a chance of change in the political elite. This is by far the worst to date. I do want to strongly emphasize, however, that this situation is no Rwanda. Both foreign and national analysts have stated this over and over. The two situations do not compare.

Many have been asking where the church is in all this, and to a certain degree some of the churches have been deafeningly silent. However, Anne and I heard a great sermon this weekend, when the preacher asked, “How can we call ourselves a Christian nation – 83 percent of the population – when we let this happen?” The preacher, a Kikuyu, also challenged the congregation when he said, “Have you invited your Luo neighbor to church?” That is really the question of the day, isn’t it?

As I said, in our neck of the woods, things are very peaceful. In fact, I spent all day in Thika and Mang’u, where one of our projects is located. We plan on going to Murang’a on Wednesday to teach a business class and check the farmers’ crops. So in that respect, life must move on. We are going about our business, muddling through as best we can. Please keep us as well as all of Kenya in your prayers this day. We all need them.

Horace