(CP) – An association of churches and Christian clergy has demanded an investigation after unidentified arsonists destroyed five churches and threw human feces onto the buildings in one village in western Kenya, according to reports.
St. Monica Church in Otamba village in Nyaribari Chache area of Kisii County was burned on Jan. 20, followed by similar attacks on three other churches — 100-member Worldwide Church, Seventh Day Adventist and Legio Maria — the following day, Morning Star News reported. The fifth church, 250-member Kenya Assemblies of God, was burned down on Jan. 24, the U.S.-based Christian persecution news website said.
“Apart from setting the churches ablaze, the arsonists also committed the heinous acts of scooping human feces onto the buildings to discourage the faithful from attending their ruined churches,” a source was quoted as saying. “A majority of the church members were afraid to attend services [in or near the ruins] in the aftermath of the burning of the churches, fearing that the arsonists might follow them right into their homes, risking the lives of their families.”
The Church and Clergy Association of Kenya has demanded an investigation. “We demand the investigating authorities to get to the bottom of the matter and expose the agents of such heinous acts. What is the motive behind this and who are these mercenaries acting for?” it said in a statement, according to The Standard. The churches will need to spend millions of Kenyan shillings to rebuild. READ MORE
