Who would have thought Kenya would implode?
Zakayo is stuck inside a police station. He doesn’t have any food. Neither do the hundreds of other Kikuyus seeking refuge inside the compound. Outside, angry supporters of Kenyan politician, Raila Odinga, are on a rampage – seething over what they say was a stolen election. We know because we’ve been following developments on the BBC, on the internet, on radio. We know because Zakayo calls his Singaporean manager, Nick, with regular updates. We know because we can hear the panic in Nick’s voice.
The church that was torched on Tuesday was in Eldoret – Zakayo’s hometown. At least 50 people died there. Children died there. On TV, images of charred houses look ever so familiar. The area is where Zakayo used to live.
Today, Nick called to say Zakayo and a group of other Kikuyu men are planning to leave the police station. They have to, in order to find food. Another member of Nick’s cycling team is missing. A third appears to have joined the mob. No one knows what’s going on. Meantime, Zakayo is desperate to feed his family. The mobs are on the loose. But his children are hungry. He has to do something. And there isn’t much we can do but hope for the best.
