Kenya
(MNN) — Police in Kenya are
questioning three suspects in connection with an explosion in Nairobi's business district this week.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that a suicide bomber may have
prematurely detonated a small bomb just two blocks from the location of the
U.S. Embassy attack in 1998. That caused concern among residents that history
may be repeating itself.
In the wake of the blast Monday that killed one and injured
37, no one really knows for sure who is behind the act. There are suspicions
that it could be the work of radical Muslims, a religious sect utilizing
violence to make a point, or even of the Mungiki. The Mungiki ('multitude' in Kikuyu) are an unspecific gang engaged in a bloody street war with police in
and around Nairobi. Either way, the violence, if you believe the
articles surrounding Monday's incident, is climbing.
Yet, no one has claimed responsibility. Christian Reformed World Relief's Ida Mutoigo
says in fact, the incident had a relatively small impact on their staff. If there was fear, life in Nairobi would have come to a standstill.
She says staff members were taking care of normal
business in and around the explosion site the day after the bombing. She adds, "I don't think that it is as serious as
it may seem. I think that there are
definitely some conflicts in the city and at any point, gangs that are trying
to rise up, tensions against the police, and so on. But, it doesn't appear that
this is related directly to that, otherwise you would have seen a bigger
result."
CRWRC's role in Kenya is to provide development
consultation to the Anglican Church of Kenya, the Reformed Church of East
Africa, Partners Worldwide, and the Reformed Institute for Theological
Training. Through these organization, CRWRC is providing people and communities
with clean water, AIDS orphan care, livestock management, improved nutrition,
agriculture training, improved health care, income generating projects, and
emergency food and seed supplies.
Mutoigo says the attack hasn't stopped their outreach, but
it does bear notice. "Continue praying for safety, and also for peace,
especially for the people in Kenya
just to have God's hand in all of this so that people may come to realize the
only peace and security we have is in Him."
