Catholic bishop calls for Kenyans to refrain from violence

As African and international mediators work to bring together the two political parties in dispute over last month's Kenyan presidential elections, the Catholic Church in Kenya has appealed to the people to "foster peace and fraternity".

The Catholic Church is a strong voice in calling on communities to refrain from violence and for the political leaders to work towards a peaceful solution, so that people can return to their daily lives.

Bishop Martin Kivuva, Chair of Caritas Kenya, said: "We need to get back to co-existence and let people live wherever they are. Kenya is all of ours. This country is bigger than a president.

"We need to get back to work, back to the farms, factories and businesses. We need to stop the killing and violence, when this stops fear will stop."

CAFOD, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, is stepping up its humanitarian assistance to tens of thousands of people displaced by election violence in Kenya.

The charity has pledged a further £54,000 for vital humanitarian aid including blankets, maize flour, porridge flour, beans and cooking oil, to the thousands of people made homeless by the violence following the country's elections last month.

CAFOD has given money to buy 500 blankets in the Parish of Londiani in the Rift Valley Province in Western Kenya. Father Martin Barry is a parish priest in Londiani.

He said: "Around 2,500 people are currently sheltering in the church compound after houses were looted or burnt, with many more staying with family and friends in town. People are sleeping in the open as they are too afraid to actually sleep in the church after the events in Eldoret.

"The support from CAFOD will mean that we will be able to buy blankets to give to people sleeping in the open."

In the town of Motobo four kilometres from Kericho in the Rift Valley, many thousands of men, women and children have been kicked out of the tea estates and have been living in the open in the town of Kericho for the last week.

The parish priest, Father Paddy Highland is also being supported by CAFOD, to cope with the influx of people.

He said: "There are still 500 to 600 people homeless and taking refuge in the church compound. There is urgent need for blankets and clean drinking water, as well as tarpaulin. The temperature sometimes drops to nearly freezing here at night.

"People are currently using water from the river and there is fear of cholera, but thank God there has so far been no health crisis."

According to the Kenyan Government figures, over 255,000 people have been made homeless and more than 480 people have died as a result of the election violence.

CAFOD is now providing humanitarian aid to over 49,000 people in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kericho, Bungoma and Eldoret.