allAfrica.com * Raid On Displaced Families That Shocked the World The Nation (Nairobi) ANALYSIS 6 January 2008 Posted to the web 6 January 2008 By Barnabas Bii and Peter Ngetich Nairobi It is a tragedy that shocked the entire nation and the international community. A group of armed youths protesting at the outcome of presidential elections attacked displaced families who had sought refuge in a church in Uasin Gishu district and set the building on fire, killing more than 35 people. The protesters then descended on neighbouring buildings perceived to belong to their opponents, reducing them to rubble and hacking to death any of their "political enemies" on sight. "We did not expect them to do this in the house of the Lord. They attacked us without warning and in a matter of minutes the church building was a burnt-out shell," said Margaret Wanjiku, 18, who managed to escape the New Year eve attack at the Kiambaa Kenya Assemblies of God church, some 12 km outside Eldoret town. According to those who escaped the killings, they have never had a problem with the community they have lived with in the village for the last 40 years and the attack caught them by surprise. Wanjiku said the protesters struck at 10 am. "We were preparing githeri (a mixture of maize and beans) for the more than 400 people who had sought refuge in the church when a group of youths brandishing weapons charged at us. We did not expect them to harm us but they went ahead and did that," Wanjiku said as she tried to salvage the remains of what used to be the house of the Lord. More than 100 people have been killed in Uasin Gishu District alone and over 30,000 families displaced following the week long protest against the presidential election results. Most of the displaced people are camping at police stations and churches while others have been evacuated to safe areas in Nakuru town and beyond. Although calm has returned in some parts of the district, some roads leading to Uganda have been barricaded by protesters demanding a review of tallying in the presidential election results. The protesters block the roads with boulders and logs immediately security personnel leave after clearing the barricades. "It is unfortunate that all this happened to us. We have co-existed in harmony but political leaders have at long last sparked divisions and hatred," said Miriam Ng'endo who lost her four-year- old daughter when the church was burnt down. Some of the victims urged President Kibaki to find a lasting solution to the problem of the disputed election results. "I have nowhere to go. I am ready to go back to what used to be my home depending on how things shape up," said Dorcas Ng'endo from Kimuri farm. Her grandmother has been missing since then. When we visited the KAG Kiambaa church, Dorcas was trying to salvage court documents which she was using to pursue compensation after her husband -- a Kenya Wildlife Service ranger -- was killed by an elephant in Laikipia. John Njuguna, who escaped death, said the youths accused them of worshipping in a tribal church. Unlike victims in other parts of the country, the Uasin Gishu ones lost fixed assets as the majority of them had permanently settled in the area. "I was born and brought up here. My parents settled here after buying land and I do not understand why political issues have caused a rift between us and our brothers from other communities," said John Kung'u from Yamumbi farm. Even as the Kenya Red Cross Society distributes relief food to the displaced families, the majority of them are faced with starvation and fears of disease outbreak. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 2008 The Nation. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------