Ups and Downs in the New Kenya

April 21, 2008


Things are improving on the political front. The new cabinet – though bloated in size with 40 new ministers and 52 assistant ministers – has an interesting composition. For each minister, the assistant minister was selected from the opposing political party. The hope is that they will be working together to fix some of the problems that brought us turmoil after the recent election. Please keep them in your prayers as they take on that task.

As one man commented to me last week, you sleep happy and then you may wake up to chaos. That is what happened last Monday morning. Though we were in no danger, the first thing that I heard was that school was having issues with buses because of protests around town. Of course, I was thinking, “What could they be protesting? The cabinet has been named, and things appear to be improving.” Well, the trouble came from a group of thugs that has been outlawed called the “Mungiki”. They are somewhere between an inner city gang and the mafia. They are allegedly part of the paid criminals that were causing some of the unrest in the country after the election. Two politicians were recently arrested for funding their escapades. Last Monday, they declared a week of mass protest because their leader has been held in jail on a weapons charge. The leader’s wife was murdered last week, and the group is blaming the police. However, it is speculated that she was probably killed as a result of fighting within the organization. At the end of the week, the government announced that they wanted to “dialogue” with the Mungiki, and the protests were called off. I guess we will have to wait and see what happens with that.

While we did not witness any trouble, we did cancel one of our classes due to uncertainty of safety on the roads. The school that our children attend had to cancel after school activities that Monday, but otherwise, it seemed to be a normal week. Thika did have quite a bit of trouble as businesses were threatened not to open because of the protest. Murang’a also experienced the troubles with businesses being forced to close. All reports are that things are back to normal now.

This week, we will try to get back on track with a make-up class. We are also beginning the task of sorting out the loan particulars for the groups in the different areas. Lots of number crunching is ahead in the next few weeks as we sort it all out.

We will write more later to update you on our groups. For now, please pray for continued peace and a willingness to let the healing process continue in this country. As always, we appreciate your prayers.

Blessings,
Anne

GOOD NEWS!!!!

MY APOLOGIES - THIS IS THE SECOND TIME WE HAVE POSTED A BLOG ENTRY THAT IT DID NOT ACTUALLY MAKE IT ONTO THE BLOG. FOR THOSE OF YOU WONDERING WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK, READ BELOW:

BREAKING NEWS: Praise God! A peace deal has been signed by the government and opposition parties in Kenya. This is huge! Kenya is now on the roadmap to reconciliation between parties and more importantly, different ethnic groups. Under the new power sharing arrangement, a prime minister’s position has been created. This person, who will undoubtedly be the opposition leader, will be selected by the majority party of parliament (which the opposition is), and he can only be fired by parliament as well. The prime minister will be “head of government” – meaning that he will be in charge of all government ministries. The president will be “head of state” – meaning that he represents Kenya in all international affairs.

These are the short-term goals being implemented right now. Long-term, the parties have agreed to seek real reconciliation amongst people groups and to write and pass a new constitution addressing many of the current injustices on items such as land ownership. The road ahead will no doubt be difficult, but with the Lord’s help, Kenyans are indeed up to the task. Today at a town hall meeting, the U.S. ambassador said that Kenyans are indeed being held to a higher standard than other people from developing nations. The reason for this is that their country is a model for development around the world. He believes that in spite of the fact that other developing nations have tried and failed at power sharing, Kenya can and will succeed. By the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, they will no doubt succeed.

Please pray for the Kenyan people now that this task is before them. Unless we feel like it is necessary, we will probably be updating our blog only on a weekly basis now, and our content will generally be centered more on our daily work and lives. But if you feel the need, please contact us at plantingfaith@gmail.com. We love hearing from you.

Blessings,Horace and Anne

Wednesday Update

A bit of good news is available on the Kenyan political scene. Opposition leaders have called off mass demonstrations which were scheduled for Thursday. In Kenyan parlance, mass demonstration usually means an excuse for violence. Many were holding their breaths today, until this news surfaced. Now many are very relieved.

Kofi Annan continues talking with the president and the opposition leader, and the president of Tanzania, who is also the chair of the African Union, is now in Kenya trying to help facilitate negotiations as well. Condoleeza Rice even weighed in on the matter yesterday, reiterating her notice that actions would be taken against anyone attempting to scuttle the talks. The leaders of this country must feel as if all eyes are upon them. If they would only listen to the people they would realize that peace is the only real issue the vast majority of Kenyans care about.

Thursday I am planning on going to a town hall meeting at the U.S. embassy. The ambassador is speaking. I will fill you all in on his perceptions of the political situation as soon as I can.

Blessings,Horace

Tuesday Evening in Nairobi

Hello from Kenya. Everyone here is very frustrated with the political leaders who have stalled in their mediation efforts. According to mediator Kofi Annan, the talks are “temporarily suspended,” while he begins direct negotiations with the president and the opposition leader in order to speed the process up.

The sticking point of the mediation process seems to be the powers of a newly created prime minister post within the Kenyan government. Apparently, the presidency has far more powers than one would have in a western democracy. Naturally, the government wishes to hold on to as much of this as possible, and the opposition wishes to garner some of these powers from them. Unfortunately, neither side will budge in their push for power. The government wishes to make the P.M. post a presidential appointment with very little authority, and the opposition wishes for the P.M. post to be head of the government. There is obviously a wide chasm between the two, and neither is giving ground.

Please pray that both sides will see what this is doing to their country. The average man on the street simply wants everything to be back to normal. In many ways things are very normal: we sold two of our puppies today; Mary Shea got her cast off; Horace got a 100 on an algebra test. Work is now progressing nicely, as we are about to start a fourth group of farmers, growing the bird of paradise flower. Nonetheless, people are starting to air their frustrations with the leadership of the country.

Please pray that the Lord will reveal Himself to the political leaders, guiding and directing them to make good decisions for the nation. We will update you in a few days. Hopefully there will be some positive news.

Blessings,Horace

Thursday's Update

Hello once again. We have had a short week due to a planned school holiday. A big improvement over emergency school closure! The kids are enjoying the idea of a break. The teachers are working today for their self-study for accreditation purposes. They will have their break tomorrow.

News from the mediation efforts is still a bit rocky. One day things are looking more positive, and the next their will be statements from one or both sides about their dissatisfaction with the process. Kofi Annan was quoted in the paper today saying that the talks are still progressing as needed even though “discouraging comments” may be coming out from both sides. Apparently both sides have agreed to a Prime Minister idea, but they still disagree on details.

Condeleeza Rice was in town Monday and met with Raila Odinga, President Kibaki and Kofi Annan. She also met with business leaders. She emphasized that the US did not intend to force or dictate the terms of an agreement, but that the US fully supports those Kenyans who have grown weary with this process and are ready for healing. While President Bush is on the continent traveling to development projects in Africa, he is noticeably absent from Kenya. He has toured Tanzania, Rwanda and is now in Ghana. He is headed to Liberia next. He is touring the successful efforts of US development.

Work is progressing. We have now scheduled all groups for upcoming seminars. We are looking forward to getting back on track. We are being reminded that nothing happens quickly here; just the scheduling process can be tedious at times. Horace continues to visit farmer groups in the field offering technical assistance where needed. Things seem to be progressing fairly well.

One exciting development this week was the installation of a pump in the well at ACK Thika Diocese Namrata Shah Children’s Home. This is a home for orphans that has been waiting for electricity since before we came to Kenya. The poles for it have been visible for quite some time, but they were waiting on the power company to make the final connections. They received a gift for a well a while ago, and it is intended to water their shamba (garden or small farm). Through a generous gift from Hand In Hand, a UK Christian Charity, they were able to purchase a pump to use to fill a tank for irrigation. The pump was purchased in November and has been patiently waiting in our pantry until electricity reached the children’s home. Finally, Horace had a call that electricity had been installed. Today, he traveled to Thika and installed the pump. He said the sight of the pumping water was wonderful, and it quietly and efficiently fills the tank. Now, they will be able to water a garden to be used for their own food and perhaps have extra to sell to help offset their costs.

News on the home front is mostly good. Mary Shea had her cast removed Tuesday and is looking forward to getting back to her normal busy schedule. We just have to wait for Monday, and then she is allowed normal activity. Horace will be busy working on a friend’s Eagle Project for scouts tomorrow. Our 7 week old puppies are healthy except for one which seems to have been born with a weak immune system. She has been quite miserable with several problems for about 10 days. Other than that, I am happy to report we are quietly doing well.

We are so thankful for our opportunity to be in Kenya, as our family has truly been blessed in many ways. It is not easy for us to be away from our extended family and friends in the US – especially during special times. This Saturday is one of those special times as our nephew John will be getting married in the US. Please join us in praying for the wedding festivities and the union of John and Anna. We pray that they will enjoy many happy years to come.

We pray peace will continue here in Kenya, and we praise God that we have so many supporting us and this country in prayer.

Have a blessed weekend!

Anne

Saturday in Nairobi

Hello from Nairobi. We are having a beautiful weekend. When I think of all of the people in the IDP (Internally Displaced People) camps, I am thankful the weather is pleasant. To think just 6 weeks ago many of these people were living peacefully in houses that they had worked to build, and now they are sleeping in emergency shelters and tents – a truly sobering thought. They deserve better than they have received.

It is quiet where we are. I would say that we are nearly back to pre-election normal here in Nairobi. Kofi Annan had a press conference yesterday in which he expressed optimism that a deal is “close”. He also stated that he had not intended to be here this long, but he does expect to remain in Kenya until a satisfactory deal has been made between the two sides. The media buzz is saying that the goal is some sort of coalition government, but there has been no formal agreement. Obviously, much work needs to be done, but all agree that things seem to have moved much more quickly than expected. We hope and pray that all of this progress continues toward meaningful agreements and peace. Kofi Annan has also called a meeting with Kibaki and Odinga for Monday. The committees representing the sides will continue negotiations Tuesday.

International pressure is mounting on the parties believed to be responsible for violence with denial of visa rights for them and their families to many countries, including the US. There is also discussion of freezing assets in foreign countries. While President George Bush is currently on a tour of Africa, he will not be visiting Kenya. The goal of his trip is to highlight the successful development initiatives that the US is involved with in Africa. Although the international press often ignores these things, there is actually quite a bit of humanitarian investment in Africa by the US. He is, however, sending Condoleeza Rice to Kenya. She is expected to be here less than 24 hours, but she will be meeting with Kibaki, Odinga and Annan while she is here.

Interesting media tidbits this week that I am sure don’t make the international news concern the role of the church here. The National Council of Churches in Kenya (NCCK) had quite a strong self-condemning statement this week in that they confessed that many in the pulpit have been preaching partisanship rather than healing of the gospel. While it is a relief to see this confession and move toward healing within the churches, it is also distressing to think that our religious institutions could have been part of fostering the hate and tribalism that exists. With this confession, one hopes, will come some sort of move to foster a healing and reconciliation process within the churches.

Our work is continuing to build back up to a normal pace. We are thankful for that. Thursday, we traveled to Mang’u with Dave Chaves, a fellow Anglican missionary who helps us out with our projects. We also took along James Njeru, who is a CCS (Christian Community Services of the ACK) employee helping with our projects. Horace visited shambas to view the passion fruit’s progress, Dave taught discipleship classes, and James and I taught the business classes. When I teach the classes, a translator is necessary in most all areas where we work. It was a good day in which we covered some beginning planning steps to improve our businesses. Things go very well, and the farmers are receptive to the lessons. Our hardest lesson of the day was to think creatively to solve problems. Quite naturally, naming the problems is easy, but thinking of creative solutions is a bit tough. We find that so many farmers and small business owners here tend to do the same things that everyone else does. This only floods a market and increases competition to an impossible degree. We talked quite a bit about how to find out what the market wants and needs are and how to find ways to address business that are different from everyone else.

There are a few minor problems on the passion fruit, but otherwise the crop looked quite good. Horace feels they will be under control shortly, and he didn’t see anything that was a major cause for concern. One of the hardest lessons that he faces teaching is that the flowers and fruit at this point must be pruned to allow proper growth of the vine. It is understandably difficult for these farmers to “waste” these fruits, but it is necessary for the future of the plant. Poles and wires will go up soon for the trellising of the vines.

Thank you for your continued prayers and encouraging messages. We will be posting again early next week.

Have a blessed weekend!

Anne

Tuesday, January 29th

Several people have written today very concerned for our safety, so I write to clarify what is going on in the country and with us in particular.

The situation is indeed serious, but we are following the lead of the U.S. embassy. When they say move, we will indeed move, but at this point they have given no such indication. I know it is hard to believe, but everything in Nairobi seems normal. There was some violence surrounding the death of the M.P., but it calmed before noon. In fact, Anne and I were in downtown Nairobi this morning (also a long way from the violence today) and had no idea anything was going on today until we got a phone call informing us of the clashes.

There are some hotspots around, and we are avoiding them at all cost. In the suburbs where we live, we are no where near any of this. (For those of you in the Memphis area, try to imagine being in Marion, AR, if Orange Mound were in a riot. It is a real concern, so the best thing to do is to stay away from there.) In fact, people in other parts of the city who do live nearer to the bad parts are planning on sending their kids to our house if there is trouble with school closures or something. But right now that has not happened.

The kids’ school – to which we live very close – is also being extra careful. They sent some kids home at noon today being fearful of certain bus routes, but at the end of the day, everyone felt it was – while still a necessary precaution – more or less a false alarm, as there were no incidents on the road.There is one small ray of hope in this situation. Tonight, the opposing parties "agreed to agree" in negotiations led by Kofi Annan, setting down criteria for talks which are to begin tomorrow. Prior to this, both parties’ leaders denounced the violence and called on officials below them to do the same and to be physically present in their constituencies to see that there is no violence. If they do follow through with this, then we pray things will calm down soon.I know what you all see in the news is shocking, and I don't want to belittle it; however, I do think a lot of the news paints with a pretty broad brush. I travel to and work with people who really aren't even aware that much is going on. While they are not near Nairobi, it is still apparent that there are many peaceful parts of the country, which at this point, seem untouchable. I pray it stays that way.
Horace

Wednesday, January 23rd

Today was a fairly normal day for us. We even managed to run errands in the downtown business district without difficulty. It seemed to be normal down there – which means the roads were full of traffic. We commented several times how odd it was that so much “normal” activity goes on in this city when so many are suffering. It is highlighting, yet again, the contrasts even within the city.

However, Nairobi was not without trouble today. The news is a bit unclear at this point who started what. There was a scheduled prayer meeting for the opposition – which had permission from the government. However, at some point, violence surfaced and police and protesters clashed with at least property damage. Tear gas was used to disperse the gathering. We are unsure if there were injuries or deaths involved.

Tomorrow was to be another day of protests, but as of about an hour ago, they were called off. Evidently, the opposition has agreed to cancel them at the request of Kofi Annan and the mediation team. We are thankful for that positive bit of news. To hear that the parties are involved in serious mediation talks rather than political posturing seems very encouraging. President Museveni of Uganda is also in town attempting mediation. This was an area of confusion as we thought he might be part of the mediation efforts of the Annan team. However, it seems he is attempting his own separate process.

Horace, Jr. went to the UN today for his model United Nations forum. He really enjoyed the experience. He has yet to present his resolution, but he did make an impromptu comment on another resolution. All in all, it has been a great experience, and we are thankful that it has been able to proceed.

However, his basketball game was cancelled. The school that they were to play did not feel comfortable busing their players across town because there was trouble in-between the two areas of town. The team was greatly disappointed, but they understand the reasoning behind the decision.

On another positive note, Mary Shea has decided to try out for swim team. That will happen each afternoon this week. She has enjoyed the process, but is waiting to see what all it entails. She has lots of other activities that she wouldn’t want to miss – like her own chance at basketball which starts Monday.

While the news that we are all seeing is pretty ghastly, we do not want to overlook the blessings we have received – our school and a fairly normal routine with all the activities, relative peace for the people with which we work, and a glimmer of hope in the mediation process. We also are hearing pieces of news of the individual moments of reconciliation and peace between people that are otherwise being driven to hate. Please pray that all of this continues and that this country moves toward peace – not a superficial paper or verbal agreement but a deep healing peace brought about by reconciliation in the truth of Jesus Christ between all people.

We will continue to keep you updated as we know more news. We appreciate all of your prayers and encouraging messages. Thank you for supporting us and the people here in your prayers.

Blessings,
Anne

Tuesday, January 22nd

Sorry we have been a little slower in updating the blog the past few days. We have had lots of rain which makes our internet less reliable. We have a wireless connection to our house which works with an antenna. So, clouds and rain block the reception. Even when there has not been rain, the connection speed has been very slow. So, it has taken longer to be productive online. Someone once told me there are two speeds of internet in Kenya, slow and painfully slow. That is certainly evident this week.

It is a beautiful day today, however. We are hoping this shapes ups to be a normal week. The kids could use it, and so could we. I have had too many conversations lately that centered on the need for “normal” life to return. Many of us are being intentional about getting back into routines. Actually, Horace, Jr. had to write a poem for Language Arts with the topic of an emotion during this time frame in Kenya. He chose “Confusion,” which I think is totally appropriate.

We had some great news yesterday; Middle School Model United Nations is on schedule starting today. Horace, Jr. will be lobbying other groups for support of his resolution. His teacher cautioned them to get support based on the issues; he was instructed by his coach not to use it as an opportunity to collect phone numbers of cute girls. J Basketball is also on target for him tomorrow. Mary Shea will start her basketball next week.

Expectations are high for the arrival of Kofi Annan today. We hope and pray that some sort of agreement will be reached. There are many confusing statements in the press about what will and what will not be acceptable to both sides. We will wait and see what happens. The paper has many pages dedicated to this topic today. It seems there is a lot of discussion about the discussion.

Out of all of this controversy, it is becoming more apparent that the troubles have been brewing under the surface for quite some time. The struggles are not only between people of different people groups, but also between the rich and poor. Kenya is a country of contrasts having both abundant wealth and extreme poverty. Some have said this is mostly between the two people groups of the Presidential candidates, but there have been many more conflicts that have flared up.

In our area, we see very little of the troubles. It is difficult to believe that all of the terror has happened in the same country, let alone the same city. Just across town, it is not so settled. I received a call today from a friend asking me to be the emergency contact for her children in case she is not able to cross town to get them from school. Of course, we are glad to do it, but it is unsettling knowing that they feel the need to do this, so please pray that “the peace of the Lord which passeth all understanding” will fall on this nation. As Horace, Jr. said, “confusion” is definitely the emotion of the day.

We will do our best to update you as more news breaks.

Blessings,

Anne

Saturday Night in Kenya again

After a turbulent week, we are now having a quiet weekend. Praise God! Friday was marred with a number of deaths at the hands of police. However, some of these “peaceful” protests got out of control, as machete wielding mobs began to attack the police, who, in turn, used full force to dispel the crowds. Near the Massai Mara game reserve, a Kikuyu village and a Massai village attacked one another. I want to stress in all of this violence, it doesn’t appear to be political. In Nairobi, most of those participating are unemployed, frustrated and angry and simply spoiling for a fight. In the rural areas, tribal tensions have festered under the surface for years, and the election was the catalyst that has allowed them to explode.

All in all, however, the size of the protests has been dramatically smaller, less than 10 percent the size of the previous week’s, and the violence has been much more sporadic. This tells me that the people are growing weary of this nonsense and want to get their lives back to normal. I know we do.

I attended the meeting with the US Ambassador yesterday. Many sources believe the counting process and the reporting of results of the election were flawed on both sides. While the US recognizes the limitations and mistakes of both sides on this issue, our home country is neutral in its choice of who it would support – this is an important point that we wish more of the Kenyan community were made aware of. There is, it seems, always blame for the US in international matters. There are Kenyans who blame the US for supporting the opposition and encouraging the trouble. The Ambassador reiterated that they are simply interested in a peaceful resolution that is crafted by Kenyans. The US and other outside interests are merely here to support a process of reconciliation between parties in Kenya. They are not here to issue orders and tell Kenyans what must be done. As it stands now, both sides have shown interest in talking but have not acted toward that. The EU Parliament has recommended suspending aid from European countries to Kenya. The US does not agree that this is necessary at this time. The Ambassador is very positive that a peaceful, political settlement will occur. Just how that will be is anybody’s guess.

The opposition has said it will be switching tactics from demonstrations to boycotting certain businesses. These are businesses which are owned by those who are close to the current government. Time will tell what effect this has on the country. There is a delegation of former Presidents of African countries here in Kenya, and the opposition met with them yesterday. Kofi Annan is due to arrive in the country Tuesday. He is recovering from the flu.

While our children did attend a few hours of school today to get some extra instruction on a few things, we will be back to a regular schedule beginning Monday. We are praying that we can get back to “normal”. Of course, all events are subject to cancellation. One area of concern in our household is, of course, sports. Basketball is back on the calendar with two games scheduled for Horace’s team. We have not received word on the Middle School Model UN.

I suppose the question is, “What will “normal” look like for us?” If this political stalemate muddles through a solution over the next several months, then sporadic violence is possible, as all parties become frustrated. However, if a negotiated settlement is reached soon, all parties will once again be forced to live with one another. Please pray for true reconciliation amongst all Kenyans.

We will keep you posted about further developments here in Kenya.

May God bless all of you.

Horace

Thursday, January 17th

Today was another day of protests in Nairobi. There are varying accounts of deaths being reported in Nairobi and Kisumu, but it looks like at least 6 people have died today. The numbers of people who are demonstrating seems to be smaller than previous days.

One of the more startling images that we have seen was the CNN reporter being hit with a tear gas canister as the police were trying to disperse the media from the protest area. This reporter grew up in Kenya, so it was a bit disturbing to her that all of this is going on in her homeland.

Horace joined the Anglican Diocese of Thika staff today as they loaded a truck full of supplies headed for the western part of the Rift Valley to a town called Molo. Planting Faith donated over 6,000 pounds of maize (corn) meal for the relief effort (finally, I was able to get the picture on this page - see above). Due to the generosity of donations we received in December 2007, we were able to make this purchase to assist the effort. Maize meal is a staple in the diet here, and can be quite useful to feed the displaced people who are going hungry. Water, clothing, soap, and diapers were among some of the other supplies going on the truck. Please pray for the safety of the supplies and the people accompanying the truck to its destination.

Tomorrow brings more scheduled protests. Horace will be attending a “Town Hall Meeting” tomorrow at the American Embassy. The Ambassador is scheduled to speak, and the American community is anxious to hear what he has to say.

Horace, Jr. was scheduled to be a part of the Middle School Model UN next week. He was selected as the Ambassador from Australia to the UN, and with his team had worked quite hard on a resolution that he wrote for road building in East Timor to build the infrastructure for the agriculture sector. (Do you think he is influenced from home???) Actually, we had nothing to do with the concept or planning of his resolution, and we were quite impressed with his work. In this program, the kids get to visit the UN offices here in Nairobi and debate their model resolutions. We think it will at least be postponed, but we pray that it is not cancelled. There would be many disappointed students here if that happens.

The general sentiment seems to be weariness with all of the turmoil. The majority of the people in Kenya do not wish their country to be in this condition. Everyone is ready for a normal life to pursue their work and studies. So, continue with us in persistent prayer that all will return to peace.

Blessings,
Anne

Wednesday, January 16th

About 11 pm last night, we gave up watching the live coverage of the first meeting of Parliament since the election. They had argued over most everything that they possibly could. They did manage to elect a Speaker and Deputy Speaker, and the new members of Parliament were sworn in – after being told that they must pledge allegiance to the President – regardless of their feelings on the outcome of the election.

Although there was much debate, and it was a lengthy process, I was happy to see that it was relatively peaceful and civil. We honestly did not know what to expect from the process and were quite prepared to see the worst unfold. The clerk of Parliament made an exception to the ban on live news coverage to allow the media to carry this procedure on all three local television stations.

Today, we woke to rain. It is not expected to rain this time of year, but it poured early this morning and continued for quite some time. Our first conversation this morning was, “Could this be an answered prayer about the demonstrations?” It certainly diminished some of the numbers that were apparently planning to march. The rain, and fear, that is. It has been widely reported that people who would demonstrate with the opposition are avoiding the situations due to fear.

Demonstrations were held, however. In Nairobi, they were forced to disperse when the police used teargas. Police also shot three protesters in one of the slum areas. In Eldoret (Western Kenya), it has been reported that two people were shot by police. Mombassa (our beach town) also had a large protest rally. We witnessed none of the confrontations, but we did receive messages warning us of closure of major streets and areas of town as police attempted to break up the demonstrations.

I read an interview with the US Ambassador today in which he spelled out some of the positions the US holds regarding the election and the crisis we are currently experiencing. We had understood before that the US has long valued its relationship with Kenya as Kenya has been a force of stability in a part of the world where terrorism could otherwise run rampant – Kenya borders Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia. However, one of the most interesting things that he said is that by “our” (assuming he means the US) estimation of the results of the election, it would appear that the winner probably did not win by more than 100,000 votes which is a very narrow majority. In that light, the US would like to see the two opposing parties form a solution of peace together. He also said that he feels the election process was quite well done up until the tallying procedure by the election commission.

Tomorrow, we continue the process. We are carefully waiting, listening and watching to see what unfolds. We value your prayers and pray that peace will prevail.

Until tomorrow,

Anne

Tuesday, January 15th

Well, we had written a summary of today’s events, but it seems that the day is not over for the controversy.

This evening the Kenyan Parliament met for the first time after the elections. It was an interesting event. Their task was to elect a speaker. The opposition won, but only narrowly; however, that was not the real story. Why so many were concerned was that yesterday on an exclusive interview with CNN, opposition leader Raila Odinga stated that he fully intended for his party to sit on the official government side (traditionally reserved for the president’s party) rather than the opposition side. The local scuttlebutt was that it could get crazy in Parliament today. In fact, some of the roads around the city center were blocked off in anticipation. Praise God, it was not to be. Odinga and his party peacefully took a place in the official opposition’s seats and let the politics begin. Pray that this is foreshadowing of things to come. They also elected a deputy speaker. The other purpose of the gathering was to have the official swearing in of the members of Parliament. They have been meeting for about 7 or 8 hours now. It is 10:25 pm here. The debate is currently still in progress about whether the members of Parliament will pledge allegiance to the President. We do not know what the outcome will be; stay tuned, and we will add it tomorrow.

On a more negative note, however, former U.N. secretary general Kofi Annan has postponed his trip to Kenya for medical reasons. He is supposed to be coming to help mediate talks between the opposition and government here, but he has been told his efforts are not necessary by at least one government minister. Please pray that the talks will continue soon.

Tomorrow the opposition is supposed to be holding mass rallies all over the country. The opposition has stated their intention to be peaceful; however, it is a real concern whether that will be the case or not. Our employee, Samson, just returned from his home in western Kenya. He was stuck there, as there were no buses running until yesterday. While he is very supportive of the opposition, he too is worried about whether the rallies will be peaceful. He told me, “These people…they have no brains. They use the demonstrations as an excuse to loot and rob.” As I’ve thought all along, the violence has not been organized (or at least not well organized). Thugs have simply used the elections as a catalyst to carry out vendettas, burn, loot and rob.

On the home front, we are taking all precautions for tomorrow. School has been cancelled; however, the kids are loaded up with work that should keep them busy pretty solidly for the next three days. The school can count these as “home school” days, so as not to be penalized at the end of the year, having to add extra days to the calendar. We all plan on staying home for the time being, but it is our prayer that the rallies will be non-events and that life will get back to normal soon. We are all certainly ready.

Please pray for peace in our adopted country Kenya; pray for reconciliation in truth amongst all Kenyans, and finally…pray that we all keep our sanity if we have to stay in the house for three days.

Blessings,
Horace