Episcopal Press and News
Kenyan Bishops Question 'Accidental' Death of Bishop Muge, Call for Commission to Investigate Persecution of Church
Episcopal News Service. August 23, 1990 [90212]
The House of Bishops of the Church of the Province of Kenya has questioned the official version of circumstances leading to the death of Bishop Alexander Muge in a traffic accident on August 14 while returning to his diocesan headquarters in Eldoret after a visit to the Busia district.
While mourning Muge's "tragic and most untimely death," the Kenyan bishops said in a August 17 statement that they were "particularly conscious and saddened by the most irresponsible threats on his life made by some political leaders just a few days before he died." The bishops appealed to President Daniel arap Moi to appoint a special commission to "inquire into and report on the circumstances preceding, leading to, and surrounding the unfortunate death."
Such an inquiry is important, the bishops contended in the statement, because "it would be imprudent to presume that our late brother died in an accident. The standing committee of the Diocesan Synod of Eldoret has already initiated its own preliminary investigation into the fateful incident and the committee's interim report is at variance with the police reports." The statement concluded that the death of Bishop Muge "suggests foul play thereby casting serious doubts on the innocence of the truck driver involved in the collision."
Kenya's minister of labor, Peter Okondo, had warned Muge to stay away from Busia, even suggesting that he might not leave the district alive. In a defiant public statement, Muge said he would visit the area, prepared to die, but that "my innocent blood will haunt [Okondo] forever and he will not be at peace, for God does not approve murder." Some government officials were calling for Okondo's resignation.
President Moi has been severely criticized by the bishops in recent years but moved swiftly to allay suspicion about Muge's death. Moi stated that, despite criticism of his government, Muge made "an outstanding contribution to the moral and material well-being of Kenyans...and served Kenya with dedication."
The death came during a period when the Kenyan bishops have been on a collision course with Moi's government, charging that it is time to reassess the country's one-party political system. In return, Moi has accused the churches of plotting to destabilize the government. The bishops are urging the government to convene a national convention to discuss a political system that will respect the freedoms guaranteed by the constitution and adopt a constitutional amendment permitting a multiparty system and limited term for the president.
In its statement the bishops said the public commission should inquire into previous attempts on the life of Bishop David Gitari, attacks on Bishop Benjamin Nzimbi, and recent harassment of Bishop Henry Okullu. They also said that they want the commission to investigate the affect of "irresponsible and sensational statements by public officials." The government has made no attempts to investigate any of these incidents, the bishops' statement concluded.