Chaos in Kenya again...

You will probably hear or have already heard that there has been a bit of chaos in the central and rift valley parts of Kenya. We have seen the news yes it is going on. We are not affected and it is not related to the election this time but on a sect of people from the Kikuyu tribe called the Mungiki.

Mungiki is a politico-religious group and a banned criminal organization in Kenya. The name means "A united people" or "multitude" in the Kikuyu language. The religion, which apparently originated in the late 1980s, is secretive and bears some similarity to mystery religions. Specifics of their origin and doctrines are unclear. What is clear is that they favor a return to indigenous African traditions and reject Westernization and all trappings of colonialism. This includes rejection of Christianity, and the practice by the Mungiki of forced female genital cutting. The ideology of the group is characterized by revolutionary rhetoric, Kikuyu traditions, and a disdain for Kenyan modernization, which is seen as immoral corruption.

Well their leader was arrested a few years back for illegal possession of fire arms. His wife was kidnapped and murdered this week and the followers are out to revenge. When their leader was arrested the government took over his palatial home in Nairobi. His followers have vowed to burry his wife at this home that is now government property. So the Mungiki people have been out destroying people’s property and causing traffic jams all over Nairobi by hijacking big trucks and using them to block the highways in hopes that the Govt will release their leader and let them burry the wife in this Nairobi house owned by the Govt now.

We are safe in Mombasa and we don’t live in fear since Mungiki sect in mostly confined to the central and rift valley parts of the country. We have missionaries in Nairobi that work in some worst hit areas and they have had to stay low for a little bit.

Other than that we are trying to keep up with the current events and live as wisely here in Mombasa as best as we know how.