Catholic Priest Slain in Kenya

NAKURU, Kenya, JAN. 27, 2008 (Zenit.org).- A Catholic priest of the western Kenyan Diocese of Nakuru was murdered as vicious interethnic violence claimed more lives in the Rift Valley town.

Father Michael Kamau Ithondeka, 41, was killed Saturday morning at an illegal roadblock set up by armed youth, reported the Catholic Information Service for Africa. He was vice rector at St. Mathias Mulumba Senior Seminary in Tindinyo.

A disputed presidential election Dec. 27 sparked ethnic violence in the country that has left more than 800 dead, reported the Associated Press.

Ethnic clashes in Nakuru began Thursday, where the body count has risen to more than 55.

A reporter in Nakuru, David Omwoyo, told the Catholic Information Service for Africa that the current wave of violence in the provincial capital appears to be revenge against members of the Kalenjin, Luo and Luhyia communities following the recent killing of members of the Kikuyu community.

Suspected Kikuyu gangs have taken over the town, reported Omwoyo.

Police and the military are evacuating non-Kikuyus from the town. Hundreds of newly displaced persons have sought refuge in four Catholic parishes.

Michael Kamau Ithondeka was born in Kiambu, near Nairobi, in 1966, and was ordained a priest of Nakuru Diocese in 1993.

Between 1998 and 2002, Father Kamau studied Scripture at the Pontifical Institute for Biblical Studies in Rome.

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