No Faith in the government

Church leaders declared on Tuesday that they had no faith in the government’s investigations into Sunday’s grenade attack at their Uhuru Park rally.

They said their campaigns would go on undeterred, and vowed to return to the park on Thursday for a service for the six who died in the attack.

“There may be a combination of Kenyans who might hide what happened,” said Canon Peter Karanja, general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Kenya.

National security

Bishop Mark Kariuki of the Deliverance Church said friends and relatives of the six who died in the blasts are also expected to attend the service at the park on Thursday. He said the leaders would also hold another rally at the park before the August 4 referendum.

Speaking at the same venue, Mutito MP Kiema Kilonzo said the failure to identify those behind the insertion of the words “national security” in some copies of the proposed law was a sign of the government’s inability to investigate.

“The Prime Minister has no moral authority to talk about completion of investigations after he exonerated the Yes team,” Mr Kilonzo said.

The leaders spoke at a charged ceremony to “cleanse” the public park, which still had signs of the violence that occurred when three explosions went off towards the end of a well-attended rally.

“We mourn that the custodians of our independence and sovereignty appear not to worry when foreigners make decisions on our behalf,” the MP added in reference to the proposed constitution.

The clerics have maintained that the proposed law is being pushed by foreigners for their own interests. Mr Karanja also accused the media and the civil society of being “unapologetic” in support of the proposed constitution and demonising the Church.

They later walked around the venue, sprinkling “anointed oil and water”. There was a patch of dried blood on the spot where the strongest blast occurred. Metres away, there were several shoes with blood stains.

Although City Council workers were busy picking papers and other litter, they still had a long way to go in bringing order and cleanliness to the park. Curious onlookers thronged the park to see the small depression caused by the first explosion to the left of the dais.