Thank you so much for your prayers and support to us. It is now over a month when turmoil and violence struck our country and lots of destruction and loss of lives including 2 Members of parliament. Life is changing very fast in this country. This due to disputed flawed election of 2007.

Myself, Justine my wife, Martin and Billy(an AIDS orphan) left Naivsha after a team from Kijabe found for us an exit route for escape for our safety. I was very disturbed that people who we knew and even patients I’ve treated were telling us on (to our) face that we would be killed since we did not belong here (Naivasha). They stopped even talking to us. The leaflets passed around had bad language and they did exactly what was in the leaflet (began killing).

Two of my children are in Nakuru and the school is under control and the teacher tells me that they are safe. My brother and wife lost everything in their house which was burned down by this terror gang.

Now I am in Nyakch after 10 hours drive from Naivasha. The road was having various tools barricading the roads. Some spots they (thugs) were asking for money before letting us go pass. A section had big rocks, and I had to use off road to escape. We found many vehicles burned and various buildings razed down. Some scenes were disturbing. This is just madness, and I do not when it will end.

At home we were welcomed and had prayer session for our safety and we feel that we need to make a new beginning. We left everything in our house since we could not take them. I did not even take my salary for January. Am told nothing good is going on after several staff also ran away. I took with me four of them to escape.

Once again thank you so much for everything.

If you would like more information about David or Project AIDS Orphan, please see our “contact us” page on this website.

Thank you

Hi Ndugu (Brother),

Thank you for your prayers. Actually i did not sleep. I was awake and hoping to die because there is no where to go. Justine was trembling, we could not eat,the power went off. Martin was affected, Billy was there. Susan and Joshua are in Nakuru. We cannot reach them. A friend Kikuyu called me to be safe. A group of ladies came to my house fearing the attach. I had some men who could not be in town came to our house. We pray hoping we will be safe. Many people who saw the TV were concerned and called. Life is very precious.

I only wish this killings will stop. Today Thy are saying will come to the farm to evict those who have displaced here! Just pray

David

For those of you who have been praying, making calls to embassies and the state department- THANK YOU! Last night (morning in Kenya) we got a call from David. They made it through the night. Sometime in the middle of the night, guards came to his door to see if he could help care for four people who were hacked with machetes. As I write this evening, if all is well, we will hear again from David soon. I will try and update in the morning what we learn. Below is his conversation with my husband Paul via text messaging this morning.

David: May be you have gone. I was out of office to get something for my family since they were hungry.

Sent at 5:58 AM on Monday

me: David, I am back.

I am glad and relieved to hear from you this morning. I have read very discouraging blogs and news reports

Sent at 6:01 AM on Monday

David: It not good here Paul, Thanks for letting Jon know and he did pray for me and sent me some phone units this morning! We are still not sure.I took Justine from School. And the school is closed around here. We took few clothes and now we are in the hospital. Many people around 1000 are camping in homegrown ground and all are mixed tribes.

Sent at 6:04 AM on Monday

me: is the police or military near?

Sent at 6:06 AM on Monday

me: What do you here from your children in Nakuru?

Sent at 6:07 AM on Monday

David: These military are supporting mungiki (young thugs) and we are not even seeing them (the military) here.we are depending on our guarsds here. Sylas (David’s brother in Nakuru) may loose his job. He was working for a kikuyu. The children are ok. The headmaster told me two days ago.but tension is tense and high around there!

Sent at 6:09 AM on Monday

me: Its good to hear of the children’s safety. Are your guards trustworthy?

Sent at 6:15 AM on Monday

David: no people are divided on ethnic minds and trusting is equivocal.

Sent at 6:19 AM on Monday

me: Many in Paducah were praying for you and Kenya. We will continue to do so.

Sent at 6:21 AM on Monday

David: asante (thank you) for that. WE hope if things calm down we are thinking of moving on. I do not see how the healing will take if Kibaki is killing us.

me: David, I am very sad to have to agree with you.I must leave for work please let me know if there is any way we can help you and your family. If we can pay for an escort or anything else we will do so.

Sent at 6:28 AM on Monday

David: ok. Enjoy your work

Sent at 6:29 AM on Monday

Editors Note: Today I post this on the 21st of January. Please pray for David and his wife and three kids as they may be forced to flee their home and their safety is uncertain.

My husband and three kids just returned last night from visiting our family: grandparents, aunts, uncles and great grandparents in Texas. My fears in traveling were only the ones I conjured up in my mind. I did not have to direct my thoughts to how will I feed my children due to food shortages or what if a mob overtakes my car.

Hi Ndugu, (brother)

Asante sana (thank you)for your text messages. The past three days has been bad for Kenya as many more protesters were shot dead by policemen at close ranges including children. They even went to teargas hospital and causing more damage. I am happy the mass action was called off but I still think we are far from getting the peace we are looking for.

Many people are displaced and many more are suffering. My sister Rose had to flee from Kisumu and now staying in Kandaria with my parents. I had a friend wrote to me that her Friend a Kikuyu is married in Luo and has not heard fom her since the violence began. The dimension is now now changing with tribal sentiments taking news.

Yesterday we got a leaflet asking Luos,Luyia and Kalenjin to leave Naivasha area by 21st Jan. The Police has been alerted for any chaos that may come.

I still hope the roads will be ok as i plan to drive to Kisumu on 24th. (to meet with a rep from another aid organization considering partnering with House of Hope and to buy food for the families in Kandaria)The parents are in need of food and medicines and our orphans too.

Thank Jerry and Sherry for their love and concern to us.

Your prayers and support are welcome

Ndugu

Dear all,

Thank you for your continued prayers and support. The past few weeks has been a shock and uncertainty in Kenya. Some pats were more affected than others and Kenya generally became so small. Thank you so much for your initiative to help on humanitarian crisis due to displaced person in Kenya and Kandaria. We have seen influx of people returning home after being displaced. We have three in-laws who were killed by Mungiki( illegal armed men) in Nairobi. Pastor Jack was in the death point when they ransacked his house and burn his neighbours house. He paid them to let him safe but was to be thre for 6 days without food.

In Kandaria was locked with no movement due to the paralysis of public transport and fear of travelling. Our patients who are on ARVs could not get to HIV clinics since there were not functioning due to lack of personnel and no one dare report o work. Starvation became to be the visitor and some people had to eat wild vegetables with any cooking oil and with ugali whom is stable food here. No posho mill was working due to fuel shortage( as reported to me by Caroline)

Most of the orphans were at home this time and I was expected to be there end of the year but we could not move from Naivasha to Kandaria. I was informed there are lacking food and life was becoming bad( even me after receiving inflammatory leaflets it was very hard for us to get out of our house and we also did not get food either).

I am hoping to travel to Kisumu on 24th and possibly do food distribution to orphans in our projects, Afya members and community in real needs. We need at the moment about $ 2500 to cover the above group but whatever is available can start form the most affected one. I will purchase the following maize/corn,Rice,Beans,green grams,salt,cooking oi, tea and sugar and some medicines for starvation associated illness. The amount also will include logistics and admintrative cost and transport.

This will be done before we meet with Kurt Kandler( of 410bridge) and his team on 25th in Kandaria for visit.

I will let you know as i learn more.

Blessings and blessing to you all.

David

For the past five days the country has experienced its worst dark days in its 44-year independence history. Many Kenyans have died and property worth billions of shillings destroyed. Thousands have been displaced while others have fled to Uganda and Tanzania. Food has become scarce and some people are on the verge of starvation. Towns and some slums have been under an unofficial curfew as anti riot police cordon off some areas in an attempt to contain the countrywide chaos.

This is an account of had happened from my home city!

It was a long, painful and bloody week in Nyanza. The anxiety of producing the country’s Fourth President turned into tears; destruction and deaths after President Kibaki reclaimed State House, following a disputed presidential election.

In one of the most violent protests in history, wananchi (locals) looted shops, burnt Government buildings, leaving the provincial capital, Kisumu, on its knees.

By the time of going to press, Kisumu, popularly known as Kenya’s Bombay, due to its high population of Asians literally smelt of smoke.

Business analysts say it would take up to five years to rebuild the town that was just recovering from years of industrial slump. Major companies like the Kisumu Cotton Mills and Kenya Breweries (Kisumu) branch had collapsed.

Kisumu has suffered a huge set back. The riots have taken us more than 20 years back, “The worst part of it is that many members of the Asian community, whose businesses were destroyed, have left the country and I doubt whether they will return.”

Many people have been have been killed across the province, as police broke up the riots. Provincial Hospital mortuary was overflowing with bodies piling.

When guns temporarily fell silent on Friday, residents came out of their houses to witness what remained of their town. And it was unbelievable.

Most parts of the town resembled a medieval town. Hitherto magnificent buildings were in ruins with scattered vehicles still smoldering in smoke.

It all started on Saturday, December 29, after it became clear the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) was poised to declare President Kibaki the winner of the presidential polls, despite massive fraud.

Irate Kisumu residents stormed the city, screaming anti-ECK and President Kibaki slogans.

Opportunists took their chance and unprecedented looting and destruction of property began.

At first, the police stayed away and allowed looters to carry home whatever they could grab.

The province had earlier in the week witnessed violence after residents attacked a group of Administration policemen, allegedly meant to disrupt the elections. Mobs killed three officers.

The post-election violence has quickly plunged Kisumu into a humanitarian crisis.

Many are camping at police stations without food and water. The town has ran out of food as shops that survived looting remained closed for fear of fresh attacks. Danger lurked in the streets and in the estates as families starved. Worried women searched for food, oblivious of renewed violence.

Roads to and from Kisumu have been barricaded with boulders and telephone booths.

From loss of lives, serious injuries to wanton looting and destruction of property, the town is no longer the same. Late this week, Kisumu and other towns stared starvation. For a province that imports over 80 per cent of its food requirements, the blocking of the highways has been a severe blow.

Public markets were deserted and the few traders selling foodstuff have tripled the prices. Five leaves of sukuma wiki (kale) were retailing at Sh30, while a kilo of meat had risen to Sh300, up from Sh140. A loaf of bread previously selling at Sh23 was going at Sh40. “It has been hell. We have survived just by the grace of God. We have been having beans all through, with no milk, and other food stuff.

Public transport has been paralyzed due to illegal roadblocks and acute shortage of fuel. Some petrol stations have been vandalized and fuel tanks destroyed.

A power blackout has worsened the situation in most parts of the town since the chaos started. Kenya Power and Lighting Company officials say some transformers were burnt during the riots.

Without electricity, food and roads, Kisumu is on the brink of a catastrophe.

The crisis was touched off as anxious voters waited for the results of the December 27 General Election. When the results were announced on Sunday against massive dispute, hell broke lose after ECK declared President Kibaki re-elected.

Today, a dark ominous cloud hung over the whole of Nyanza and the question is just for how long? They are also asking, where is justice?

At House of hope we are sending appeal for humanitarian assistance of any kind to those in need!

Monica’s Note: Check out the links at the right for more information on this situation.