Jan 3rd update from Eldoret

Today is an even sadder day. I am trying to keep my tears in check…but cant. Town was quiet in an eery, uneasy way. The hopelessness is palpable and the sadness in people’s eyes is overwhelming. Some streets are deserted, shops are closed and Eldoret as we knew it is gone.

There is an appeal for blood donations at Moi Referral and Teaching hospital

There were funeral arrangements being made for Lukas Sang, an athlete who was burned.I do not have all the details yet, but will update once i get more info.

What is Eldoret without Paul’s Bakery?
For many of the displaced, this was the only home they knew. where have they gone, and will they be able to return?
- Mr. Limo of Limo House Hospital, and a leader in the area; taped a peace message to air on Sayare TV station (The ban on live broadcasts is not helping, because the peace appeals need to be heard and seen as many channels as possible) Cant listen to local radio. How can we listen to music at this time?!
- Fewer people at the cathedral on Uganda road.
- Shortage of vegetables
- Airtime is expensive – double the amount actually. For Ksh100 worth of airtime it will cost you Ksh200

Watching the news, seeing the military on the streets of Nairobi…this has got to end. We can never ever talk of normal again. Their is no normal. Stability? Of what sort? Honestly, i am afraid to say what i think on this blog as I will be in Kenya for a few more days. Whatever little hope I had that our country could rise to the greatness it was on a cusp off…is dwindling. AG Wako’s call for retallying of the votes (as seen on NTV afew hrs ago), seems like an avenue to be explored immediately. Kenya is on the brink, Kivuitu, ECK and the Kibaki Govt need to ask themselves…to what end is all this? Till when? and How? If you anyone of them calls themselves a Kenyan, a retallying of the votes, a lift on the live broadcast ban, and immediate resolution of this state of affairs is needed. Anything else is just denial, excuses and cowardice. Stand up, lead and save our beloved country. People have lives to get back to. Work, school, businesses…How is that ever possible when sections of the country are unpassable? Will we have to get different ID’s for every tribe possible? It just isn’t sustainable, its madness.
Let me stop here…Be safe, and God Save Kenya.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, January 3rd, 2008 at 7:47 am and is filed under Africa, Kenya, politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

7 Responses to “Jan 3rd update from Eldoret”

sm January 3rd, 2008 at 9:53 am

I am fighting tears. I have just heared Amos Kimunya on Aljazeera, and I am deeply disgusted. He calls Raila a warlord that is out to incite ethnic cleansing. He went even to the extent of accusing him of ordering his suporters to burn the churches. A whole so-called minister using such language on international news, even to the shock of the interviewer who could not believe that while a country was burning he was using such strong uncompromising language. He needs his head examined.

Raila himself visited the mortuary and saw for himself that the dead had bullet wounds. Atleast he had the decency of doing this, unlike MK who is holed up in Statehouse.

People, if we have this type of people for another 5 years we are doomed!

world citizen 1844 January 3rd, 2008 at 10:43 am

“O my God! O my God! Unite the hearts of Thy servants, and reveal to them Thy great purpose. May they follow Thy commandments and abide in Thy law. Help them, O God, in their endeavor, and grant them strength to serve Thee. O God! Leave them not to themselves, but guide their steps by the light of Thy knowledge, and cheer their hearts by Thy love. Verily, Thou art their Helper and their Lord.” ~Bahá’u'lláh~ from “Baha’i Prayers”

jackie January 3rd, 2008 at 11:06 am

hey gal. this jackie from kansas. niaje, i can name names here cozi hear blogs being hacked and stuff. how are you there? are you ok? how is akina nani who were on their way to Nai? did they make it? did he travel? we are worried sick about you guys bwana.
this is so sad….we are spending sleepless nights here. tuko pamoja in prayers.
did Ms Pundit make it out of NAI?????? can you email me a one liner and assure us you guys are OK?????

LATimes January 3rd, 2008 at 11:07 am

[quote=LATimes]http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-kenya4jan04,0,4416543.story?coll=la-home-world

Kenya chaos and killings continue
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Robyn Dixon, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
3:03 AM PST, January 3, 2008
NAIROBI, KENYA — Kenyan riot police today fired tear gas and water cannons at thousands of opposition protesters waving branches and white cloths, stopping them from marching to a banned rally at a city park.

Defying the police ban, opposition presidential candidate, Raila Odinga, called on his supporters to go ahead with a “million man march,” raising fears of a new surge of tribal killing. He accuses President Mwai Kibaki of rigging elections and illegitimately grabbing another five-year term.

But while police succeeded in containing the demonstrators to the slum area of Kibera, home to about a million people, they could not contain their anger. Despite the white cloths, protesters, mainly from the Luo tribe, threatened to keep on killing Kikuyus from President Kibaki’s tribe until he steps down.
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“We are slaughtering them and we will keep on slaughtering them,” said one young protester, Gabriel Okelo, who got up at six and walked nine miles from the outskirts of the city to march in support of Odinga.

As the political violence worsens, tribal fighting and tit-for-tat killings have been going on in Nairobi’s slums and in other towns.

Okelo said he killed two people with a machete for the first time Wednesday because “When you are angry, it’s easy. If they refuse our president, Raila Odinga to address the rally, it will happen again. We shall slaughter the Kikuyus. It will go on and on and on, in all parts of the country.”
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The confrontation threatened to deepen Kenya’s political crisis and worsen the tribal violence that flared up over the weekend and has so far killed at least 300.

Intense international diplomatic efforts have so far failed to persuade the two to step back from the brink and reach a political settlement.

Kenya’s morning newspapers pleaded for compromise, with the Daily Nation and Standard running identical front page banner headlines: “Save Our Beloved Country.”

“No grievance and no cause is worth the innocent blood of Kenyan children,” said an editorial in the Daily Nation. “We’re on the brink of becoming one of Africa’s failed states,” ran another headline in the newspaper.

Until last week’s election, Kenya was a beacon of democracy in Africa. With elections due in Ghana, Zimbabwe and Angola this year, the message Kibaki’s administration sends to other African countries about democracy is seen as crucial.

South African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu flew in to Nairobi today offering to mediate and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was talking to both sides in a bid to find a compromise and avert a slide into tribal warfare. African Union chairman and Ghanian President, John Kufuor, was due to fly into Nairobi today to meet both Kibaki and Odinga.

But so far, neither side is willing to make a meaningful concession in a winner-take-all standoff for the right to rule East Africa’s strongest economy.

Even if there was a political settlement there is a question mark over the extent to which Odinga can control his supporters.

One opposition protester, Edward Okoo, 32, said the protesters would not support a power-sharing deal, sentiments echoed by many others yesterday.

“There will be no peace until Raila (Odinga) is president. We voted for our party to lead.” “You can’t ask for a sheep and you get a goat,” chimed in another opposition supporter, David Namale, 39, referring to any power sharing arrangement.

The two political leaders are stalemated: Kibaki insists the election was fair and demands Odinga accept the results; Odinga demands that Kibaki admits he is not the legitimate president or accepts international mediators.

Both have refused a power-sharing deal, seen by the international community as the only speedy way forward in order to avoid more deaths and a slide into more entrenched tribal killing.[/quote]

T. Katzer January 3rd, 2008 at 11:10 am

I have been following the news and just wanted to let you know that my prayers are with you, your family and your country. Hope you stay safe. Tami

Nicci January 3rd, 2008 at 2:47 pm

Hey,
I feel so bad about everything because I grew up in Eldoret, the people who live there are and were my friends, i find it very heartbreaking to know that people are capable of such angry acts of violence. All we can do is hope and pray and try to change things during this time of need.

What happened to Paul’s Bakery?

nekessa January 3rd, 2008 at 2:52 pm

Thanks for the update on Eldoret. We are working on getting relief to the folks affected in Eldi and other parts of the country. This is a very sad time for Kenya.

Although I did not live in Eldoret, my family visited a lot and Paul’s bakery was a favorite for many years.

Our prayers are with you.

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