A small church in a sleepy village in central Kenya recently became a battleground between two rival political groups leaving worshippers with serious injuries.
The 5 September incident occurred after a disagreement between supporters of President Uhuru Kenyatta and those of his estranged deputy, William Ruto, who had gathered to worship inside the iron sheet structure that measures no more than 100 square feet. Earlier, two other churches had turned down requests to host the deputy president for a service, ostensibly for fear of violence.
Determined to ensure that Ruto would be hosted in Kieni constituency within Nyeri County, his allies made a last-minute request to religious leaders of the little-known Mbiriri Full Gospel Church and they accepted to host him.
In a show of defiance, some of Ruto’s point men mobilised residents to attend the church service, a move that angered their
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