Global Leader Responds To Kenyan Church Violence

Nobel Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu has arrived in Kenya to try to quell a recent violent uprising, which has resulted in an estimated 35 deaths at a church and more than 300 across the nation, Ecumenical News International reported.

Hundreds of people fled Tuesday to Kenya Assemblies of God Church in Kiambaa, a small town in western Kenya, before an angry mob torched the building. Those who tried to run from the fire were chased and murdered.

Tutu, an Anglican leader in South Africa who worked with Nelson Mandela to end Apartheid, has urged tribes and political leaders to put aside their differences to save lives.

“I appeal to both leaders to meet and talk about points of disagreement,” he said. Tutu is part of a coalition of religious figures who has spoken out on the crisis.

The nationwide turmoil came after incumbent President Mwai Kibaki won a narrow and controversial election over opponent Raila Odinga last week. Though the U.S. government and the United Nations have pushed for a re-vote in election, the Kenyan government rejected that notion Friday, according to the Agence France-Press.

Census-takers estimate that 77 percent of Kenya’s 37 million people are Christian and 10 percent are Muslim. The normally peaceful nation retains strong tribal affiliations, as most of the church victims belonged to the Kikuyu tribe, which has dominated positions of authority in the past.