Kenya has a Christian majority (Kenya is 80% Christian, including over 600,000 Orthodox Christians). Nevertheless, the Christians are subjected to periodic persecution there, due to the close proximity of the Somali Islamic militant group al-Shabaab. This article once again demonstrates how al-Shabaab specifically targets Christians.
For further information, the website Orthodox Christian Initiative for Africa offers regular news on the Orthodox Church in Kenya and all over the continent.
For previous ChristianPersecution.com coverage of the persecution of Christians in Kenya, see here.
“Three Killed in Kenya During Ambush of Two Buses,” International Christian Concern, June 9, 2021:
06/09/2021 Washington, D.C. (International Christian Concern) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that two passenger buses driving along the Mandera-Nairobi route in Kenya were ambushed on June 7 by Somali-based al-Shabaab militants. The ambush took place between Olla and Sarman villages in northern Mandera, leaving three dead and several others injured. Among the three were two security officers of the escort team guarding the convoy who were shot dead as they approached to rescue the passengers.
Confirming the incident, the region’s police commander, Rono Bunei, said, “The incident happened in the morning hours when suspected al-Shabaab fighters laid a trap to two civilian buses and one police escort vehicle along the Moyale Mandera road within Banisa municipality, where an exchange of fire took place, leading to three fatalities and several people wounded.”…
According to a pastor based in Mandera, it is suspected that the attackers were looking for non-local Christian travelers who resolved to use the long Nairobi-Moyale-Mandera route to avoid the highly insecure Nairobi-Wajir-Mandera route. While speaking with ICC, he indicated, “There have been fears for believers in northeastern Kenya from the time war broke in the border of Israel. We even hear the locals chant in public about the evil of Israel, America, and the Church. No one feels safe in the towns or while traveling. We were advised to stop groupings in our living places or gathering in church without security officers.”
Nathan Johnson, ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, said, “The region of northeastern Kenya has been a hotbed for terrorism for several years now as the radical Islamic fighters target non-local Christians and civil servants….
