An American in Nairobi
Surprise immersion through crisisby Jared Criswell
I arrived in Nairobi in September 2007 for a year of studying abroad - part of my plan to work as a doctor in Africa, with the bonuses of learning Kenyan culture and Swahili. Yet I soon encountered something I did not plan on - getting caught up in country-wide violence after the recent general elections.
Run-up to elections: a campus view
In the presidential elections on December 27th, the two main candidates were the incumbent, Mwai Kibaki (a Kikuyu) and Raila Odinga (a Luo) - leader of the main opposition party, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). From the beginning of the campaign, tensions ran high. Tribal loyalties seemed to dictate voters’ plans. This was especially visible on campus. I often asked fellow students who they would vote for. Without exception, every Kikuyu I spoke to was pro-Kibaki, while every Luo was pro-Raila. Students were very passionate about their candidates.
Christmas near Mount Kenya
I spent Christmas break with a friend’s family in Naro Moro, three hours from Nairobi at the base of Mount Kenya. Election day found me climbing the mountain. By the time I came down on the 30th, people were still waiting for the presidential results. I joined the family to watch the news from Nairobi. Amid ODM claims of election rigging, the Electoral Commission of Kenya announced Mwai Kibaki as the winner.
In Naro Moru, deep in Kikuyu territory, people danced in the streets, sang victory songs and drank njohi (home-brewed beer). After watching some festivities, I returned inside to see reports of riots in the cities of Kisumu, Nairobi and Mombasa. Protesters blocked roads, burned slum houses and looted markets.
Back to Nairobi
We delayed our return to Nairobi for a couple of days. The violence there was getting worse by the hour and we worried about getting food as markets had closed for fear of looting. Finally, by New Year’s Day, I returned to my dorm room; the neighborhood was nearly abandoned.
The next morning, I had a call from Eric Miller, a family friend through InterVarsity. Eric has lived in Nairobi for the past thirteen years. Before leaving Naro Moru, I had called to ask if I could stay with him until things cooled down. Earlier, his area was blocked by protesters. But on the 2nd, things had calmed down enough for him to pick me up.
We delivered food to Pastor Linus Odanga, who had been forced out of his home in Mathare, a slum in north-eastern Nairobi. When Eric is not doing Bible study training with students, he works with All Clergy’s Network (ACN), a network of slum pastors. When the violence broke out, he began delivering them food.
Soon I heard the true extent of the violence from the pastors’ first-hand reports. I couldn’t believe how bad it was. The violence was not just riots and looting. Organized gangs went through the slums, killing members of other tribes. People were burned alive, hacked to death with machetes, and shot with guns or bows and arrows. Many churches were burned down, even some that harbored refugees. Hundreds of thousands of people fled their homes. 
I told Eric I was willing to help any way I could. Non-governmental organizations had been slow in providing aid, so we helped one of his neighbors set up an aid distribution point for those displaced from the Kibera slum. The next day, Linus’ family’s refuge proved unsafe. Eric invited them stay with him while Linus returned to Mathare to find a new home. My job: to look after the six children. For the next two weeks, I watched children, made food deliveries, and kept track of the Network’s aid finances.
I also interviewed Linus for a Norwegian newspaper. He had witnessed people being hacked to death. His own tribesmen had threatened him for preaching peace. After Kilonzo Musyoka (a Kamba) was appointed vice president, Mathare gangs targeted their Kamba neighbors. Linus pleaded with them to show mercy. The gang responded, “Shut up or we’ll kill you too.” I was amazed at the faith Linus showed in the face of such threats. Like Linus, every slum pastor I spoke with is placing trust in God for deliverance.
Into the slums
With Eric, I visited two of Nairobi’s main slums: Mathare and Kawangware. In Mathare, it looked like a bulldozer had ploughed through an area larger than a football field. There was nothing left, not even a foundation.
I visited Kawangware at a pastor’s invitation from All Clergy’s Network, in order to speak at his church. I agreed, but had no idea what to say. Yet as I entered the tiny one-room church to stand before those twenty people, the words suddenly came to me.
I spoke of my amazement at the faith shown in the slums, in spite of the terrible things they had seen; my trust that their faith was key to returning peace to Kenya; and how the United States had once been divided like the Luos and Kikuyus are today. I emphasized my belief that God accomplished our progress mainly through men and women of faith, and that he would do the same through them.
Back to campus
On Monday, the 28th, I returned to my dorm. School is set to re-open next week after being delayed for three. At the moment things only seem to be getting worse. More people die every day and attacks now happen in broad daylight.
I ask all my readers to pray for Kenya. I’ve noticed that the international media has more or less stopped covering our story, but that doesn’t mean that things have gotten better. We desperately need prayer both within the country and from the international community. I know that God will return peace and healing to this country.
Jared Criswell is a junior premed student at the University of Kentucky, currently spending a year at the University of Nairobi.
Unless otherwise noted, all materials on the urbana.org web site are Copyright InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA. All rights reserved.
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