Call for calm over church shootings as outrage rises

By Standard Team

Kenya: By last evening, death toll from the brazen Likoni gun attack on worshippers stood at five, with scores injured even as Muslim and Christian clerics condemned the attack and called for swift action. Both sides expressed shock at the opening of fire on worshippers right inside their church, hurting even innocent children.   

Hooded gunmen attacked an unguarded evangelical church in Mombasa’s Likoni slums and the intention was clear; to kill and maim. Scores were injured following the 10am raid on Joy Repentance and Holiness Church, according to Mombasa County Police Commander Robert Kitur.

Two died inside the sanctuary where three gunmen, whose identity authorities were yet to determine, sprayed innocent worshipers, including women, with bullets.

Before the death toll rose, Interior PS Mutea Iringo named the two killed as a worshipper and a watchman. Iringo said the gunmen also injured another ten people. “The police, who were 100 metres away patrolling the area responded swiftly but unfortunately the gunmen managed to escape. We are appealing to members of the public to help us apprehend these criminals,” Iringo explained.

“Police have closed all exits in the area in a bid to arrest the criminals. The public will be updated in due course.”

Catholic Church Head John Cardinal Njue condemned the violence and ? called for calm among Christians, saying the police should be allowed to conduct investigations.

Widespread insecurity

Njue called on the government to raise security levels in the Coastal region and the whole country, saying the attacks came at a time the country is experiencing widespread insecurity.

“It is a pity if these attacks on places of worship continue. The police must ensure every Kenyan is peaceful and secure,” he said.

He noted the attack was not the first perpetrated against the Church in Mombasa region.

Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar said: “This is a very emotive issue and we call on religious leaders to be calm as the police investigate not only this incident but all the killings of Sheikhs and pastors in the past. But it also indicates that we have not succeeded in the efforts to stop such attacks.”

Likoni MP Mwalimu Mwahima urged locals to shun those seeking to divide them. “I have a boy who has lost his mother and it is not something pleasant at all. We do not want to be divided because people in Likoni have always lived in unity. I am appealing to the people of Likoni to ensure they look for ways of taking out these people who are causing this problem. We are not going to remain silent,” said Mwahima.

In Nairobi, Inspector General of police David Kimaiyo said the three attackers were armed with an AK 47 rifle and that they dropped a box that had 36 rounds of ammunition.

Kimaiyo announced there were armed police officers at the JCC Church adjacent to the scene of the attack. “Police officers who were guarding the adjacent JCC Church, which is 50 metres from the attacked church responded swiftly and there was a shootout between the officers and the attackers,” said Kimaiyo at a media briefing.

Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir said: “The police must tell us who are these people who can walk into a church and spray worshipers with bullets. It is unacceptable.”

Mombasa Women Representative Mishi Mboko added: “We won’t realise development if these senseless killing continue. We must stop this problem now and not later.”

Early in the day Likoni police commander Robert Muriithi confirmed two died on the spot and eight worshippers were admitted to Coast General Hospital in critical condition. Others were still being treated in various hospitals.

Murithi explained the gunmen tried to attack another church a few meters from the scene but were stopped after the police guarding the facility returned fire.

Mombasa county director of medical services Dr Khadija Shikelly said two people were in the intensive care unit  in the afternoon. “We have a total of 18 people admitted after sustaining gun wounds. Two are in the ICU,” she said.

Among those rushed to the hospital were 12 women and four children. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Witnesses said five attackers, not three as per the official version, acted with military precision and fled in a car.

A worshipper, Mr Bathlomew Odhiambo, recalled how the suspects forced their way into the church using the rear door. “They shot the watchman at the door, who then staggered into the church and fell down,” said Odhiambo as he was being treated by Red Cross medical personal.

Shooting indiscriminately

He explained that after the suspects stormed the church a tall slender man in dark glasses proclaimed Allah Wakbar as they started shooting indiscriminately.

He said as the man was shooting from behind, the other gun men who were at the main door also opened fire at the worshippers who were trying to get out of the church from the main door.

Odhiambo recalled how the gun men shot at a woman who was in front of him as they were trying to run.

During the shooting, which took less than five minutes, a woman who was shot in the chest died on the spot.

The suspects who first escaped using a motorcycle, before boarding a car after walking away from the church, fled towards Likoni Approved School.

While Muslim leaders called for calm and urged police to find the killers some Christian priests renewed calls to arm guards at churches.

Bishop Lambert Bela of the Redeemed Gospel Church for the North Coast region described the attack as ‘satanic’ and renewed a call he made last October for Christian guards to be armed to defend churches.

The chairman of the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims in Coast region, Sheikh Khitammy Mohdhar described the killing as “most unfortunate”. He asked the police to speed investigations to restore confidence of locals.

Father Wilbard Lagho, who is the Vicar General of the Mombasa Catholic Diocese and also the chairman of the Interfaith Religious Forum, blamed the government for the spread of radical Islamist ideas he believes inspired yesterday’s attack.

The church was littered with spent cartridges, baby clothes, children’s food and bloodstains.

Investigators who were analysing the scene were forced to jump over the pools of blood inside the church.

-Additional reporting by Bernard Sanga, Willis Oketch, Patrick Beja and Ngumbao Kithi