First Lady Rachel Ruto has officially launched the rebuilt KAG Christian Life Assembly Church in Kiambaa, Uasin Gishu County, marking a new chapter for the sanctuary.
The launch on Friday, September 11, came years after the original sanctuary was reduced to ashes. The tragedy occurred in the aftermath of the disputed December 27, 2007, presidential election.
The tightly contested race pitted incumbent President Mwai Kibaki of the Party of National Unity (PNU) against opposition leader Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
When Kibaki was declared the winner amid allegations of electoral fraud, widespread political protests quickly descended into targeted ethnic clashes across the country.
The Rift Valley became a focal point of the violence. Seeking safety, hundreds of villagers, predominantly women, children and elderly people, took shelter inside the Kiambaa church.
On January 1, 2008, a mob surrounded the sanctuary and set it ablaze, killing dozens of people inside.
Nationwide, the 2007–08 post-election violence claimed more than 1,100 lives and displaced more than 600,000 people.
Sharing images from the reopening ceremony, the First Lady described the new facility as a symbol of faith, reconciliation and renewed hope.
“Today is a day of reflection, remembrance and a renewed hope. We gather as a congregation, a community and as a nation to honour the memories of those we lost,” she said.
Reconstruction of the sanctuary began in 2022. The new facility features a main sanctuary, an indoor games hall, a multi-purpose hall and a playground.
Rachel urged the local community to transform the site into a haven for nurturing future generations to become compassionate leaders and peacemakers