Voice of the Martyrs Canada - Kenya: Fear and Faith After Church Attack

Kenya: Fear and Faith After Church Attack

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Kenya: Fear and Faith After Church Attack

Every believer must pass through a metal detector at the entrance of the church. As bags are carefully checked for weapons and explosives, armed soldiers ensure that nobody enters the building without being noticed. On July 1st, 2012, Al-Shabaab extremists shot 17 Christians during a church service at the African Inland Church in Garissa. How is this congregation in northeastern Kenya doing four years after the attack? Richard Groenenboom from VOM Canada’s ministry partner, SDOK, in The Netherlands provides this report.

Length: 5:46
From SDOK

Country Information
Population
57,052,004 (2023 est.)

Ethnicity (%)
Kikuyu (17.1), Luhya (14.3), Kalenjin (13.4), Luo (10.7), Kamba (9.8), Somali (5.8), Kisii (5.7), Mijikenda (5.2), Meru (4.2), Maasai (2.5), Turkana (2.1), other (9.2)

Religions (%)
Christian (85.5) (Protestant 33.4%, Catholic 20.6%, Evangelical 20.4% other 11.1%), Muslim (10.9), Other (1.8), None (1.6)

Government type
Presidential republic

Leader
President William Ruto (2022)

Legal system
Mixed legal system of English common law, Islamic law, and customary law; judicial review in a new Supreme Court established pursuant to the new constitution

Source: CIA World Factbook
Pray for Kenya
Pray that Somali refugees within Kenya will be open to the gospel. Ask the Lord to encourage believers to be unified in heart and purpose as they serve converts from Islam. Pray that churches in the northeastern region will remain strong as they face Islamist attacks.

Kenya News

Five Church Buildings Burned

Pray that Christians in Kenya will continue
to faithfully proclaim the Gospel.

Five church buildings were destroyed by fire in the town of Otamba, Kisii County, between January 21st and 26th, causing great concern among the residents of the community. While ten people were arrested shortly afterwards, the motive behind the attacks is unknown at this point.

Read more...
Christians Ordered to Leave Area

Photo: Voice of America

On February 23rd, an audio recording was released by al-Shabaab demanding that all non-local Christians leave three provinces in northeastern Kenya. In the 25-minute clip, a spokesman for the Somalia-based Islamic terrorists urged any ethnic Somalis in the area to evict non-Muslims. The message claimed that many Muslims in the area were unemployed, so they should be given the jobs held by the non-Muslims.

Read more...
Christian Teachers Killed

Al-Shabaab rebels pose an ongoing threat to
many living close to the Somali border.
Photo: Voice of America

Three Christian teachers were killed when suspected Al-Shabaab terrorists attacked the town of Kamuthe in eastern Kenya during the early morning of January 13th. The teachers of a residential school were asleep in their staff housing when their room was raided. According to a surviving teacher who fled out the window, the local Somali Muslim teachers were separated from the non-locals, whom they presumed were Christians. One of the attackers reportedly said, "We cannot allow infidels to teach our children," and then the three Christian men were shot to death.

Read more...
Pastor Beaten Unconscious

Garissa, Kenya
Photo: Wikimedia/Adam H T Geelle (cc)

An underground pastor in eastern Kenya, near the Somali border, was severely beaten on the night of March 8th. Muslim militants assaulted him with wooden clubs, leaving him unconscious and with a broken leg, bruises and other injuries.

Pastor Abdul (surname withheld for security reasons) is a 30-year-old father of three. He serves as pastor to an underground church consisting of 30 former Muslims who, for safety, meet in small groups on varying days. He was on his way home after a prayer gathering on the outskirts of Garissa when several Somali Muslims attacked him. Most ethnic Somalis believe that all people of their nationality must adhere to Islam.

Read more...

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