deaths

An article about the violence in Kenya caught my eye this afternoon. Things there are very serious.

The core of the conflict is that many Kenyans feel that the recent elections, which kept president Mwai Kibaki in office, were rigged. Mr. Kibaki belongs to the Kikuyu tribe, the largest in Kenya with about 20% of the population.

Violence is erupting across the nation, often across ethnic lines. On January 1st, 35 Kikuyu people were burned to death in a church which was acting as a refugee shelter.

More recently, Mellitus Mugabe Were, a 40 year old member of the Orange Democratic Movement, was dragged from his car and shot to death in front of his house on Monday. Were had been working hard to bring about peace, shuttling between tribes to try to bring about a peaceful resolution to the violence. Were was Luhya, and his widow is Kikuyu.

Melitus Mugabe Were, 1968-2008