Cleophas Malala, Deputy Party Leader of the Democracy for the Citizens Party, has recounted a terrifying 25-minute attack on a church in Nyeri last Sunday, leaving children crying, mothers frantic, and congregants struggling to survive.
The service at St. Peter's ACK Church in Witima, Othaya Sub-County, Nyeri County was meant to be a peaceful Sunday worship, turned into a scene of chaos as tear gas and gunfire filled the air.
Malala speaking at Radio Generation on Wednesday described the attack as horrific, saying the congregation was trapped inside while armed attackers, escorted by police officers, repeatedly lobbed tear gas into the church.
“All they were doing was to lobby tear gas inside the church. Yes, they wanted to suffocate us inside and then maybe leave the church,” he said.
He recalled the haunting sight of children praying at the altar.
“The worst iconography that I experienced that day was when I saw young children going to the altar and kneeling, facing the Calvary, praying to the Lord that showed that they had reached the last, the last extent of hope,” Malala said.
Mothers ran frantically, trying to protect their little ones from choking, while some congregants locked themselves inside rooms in a desperate attempt to survive.
The former Kakamega Senator said they had attended the service simply to worship.
“We were going to attend service, just like any other Kenyan who has the freedom of worship. Personally, I'm an Anglican, and I was very excited that at least I was going to worship in a different diocese from my diocese,” he said.
The former Senator also called on President William Ruto to speak out on the incident, saying the emotional trauma suffered by worshippers cannot be ignored.
“These acts cannot happen while the President says nothing. He is an ever-talking President. He responds to everything, even lazy statements from politicians. Yet, when it comes to the attack on the church and the children, he maintains complete silence,” Malala said.
He urged the president to sympathize with victims and ensure counselling is provided for the trauma they endured.
The attack, Malala said, reflects growing political intolerance that threatens the safety of citizens as the country approaches elections.
“That kind of intolerance, political intolerance, should not be entertained in this country. We need to access a lot of political tolerance,” he said, recalling past post-election violence and the pain of communities caught in political clashes.
The National Police Service (NPS) has opened investigations into the disruption of the church service at St. Peter's ACK Church in Witima, Othaya Sub-County, Nyeri County.
According to NPS, the disruption caused damage to a number of cars parked within the church grounds. There were no reported injuries.
The police service has condemned the attack, saying it is “completely unacceptable and has no place in this country."
NPS further states that when the attack occurred, Nyeri County Criminal Investigations Officer (CCIO) was instructed by the Regional Police Commander for Central Region to secure the scene and start investigations.
