Kennedy Lumwamu
3 February 2008
Nairobi — A church was burnt in Eldoret town Saturday morning, disrupting the calm that was slowly returning to the area after a month of turmoil.
The assistant pastor of the Great Harvest Evangelical Ministry, Mr Michael Kangogo, said he received information about the burning church from a worshipper at 6.30 a.m.
He said the pastor in charge of the church, the Rev Kamau Wanyoike, had been affected by the post-election violence and had moved out of Eldoret.
"Most worshippers left and we relocated to the Huruma branch where the few who were left behind are worshipping," he said.
In the wake of the violence that rocked the town after the announcement of the presidential election results, a church at Kiambaa in the outskirts of the town was burnt. More than 30 people who were seeking refuge there died.
The burnt Great Harvest church is located near the River Sosiani bridge on the Eldoret-Kapsabet road.
A security man who had just signed off alerted police who, in turn, called firefighters. The firefighters immediately put out the fire.
The security man, Mr Elisha Shibelenje, said that when he saw the fire he thought it had been lit by street people who stay nearby.
"I realised that it was growing bigger and and, upon closer observation, I realised that the church was burning," he said.
Tension has been rising in the town since a traffic police officer shot dead the Ainamoi Member of Parliament, Mr David Kimutai Too.
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