Church of God News

August 9, 2017

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s election took an ominous turn on Wednesday as violent protests erupted in the capital and elsewhere after opposition leader Raila Odinga alleged fraud, saying hackers used the identity of a murdered official to infiltrate the database of the country’s election commission and manipulate results.

With results from almost all of the polling stations counted, President Uhuru Kenyatta was shown with a wide lead over Odinga in his bid for a second term.

Soon after Odinga spoke on television, angry protesters in slums of Nairobi and the opposition stronghold of Kisumu in the southwest burned tires, set up roadblocks and clashed with police, witnesses said.

Two people were shot dead in Nairobi as they took advantage of the protests to steal, Nairobi police chief Japheth Koome said. An Associated Press photographer said one was shot in the head.

Kenyan police opened fire on people protesting election results earlier Wednesday in another opposition stronghold, killing one person. The shooting happened in South Mugirango constituency in Kisii county, said Leonard Katana, a regional police commander. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AF_KENYA_ELECTIONS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-08-09-10-03-09

9 August 2017

Incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta has taken a significant lead in Kenya’s tense elections, according to early results. Opposition leader Raila Odinga dismissed the tally, claiming that the election had been hacked.

High turnout in Kenyan general election

Riots broke out in the opposition stronghold of Kisimu in western Kenya on Wednesday, with police firing tear gas at anti-government protesters following the tense Tuesday election. The protesters chanted “No Raila, no peace,” invoking the name of the opposition leader Raila Odinga.

The unrest started soon after Odinga publically rejected the preliminary election results as a “fraud.”

The early results published by Kenyan electoral officials showed Odinga trailing his rival, President Kenyatta, by some 1.3 million votes. The tally was based on 92 percent of the polling stations, putting the president at 54.4 percent to Odinga’s 44.7 percent.

At a Wednesday press conference, Odinga insisted that he was actually in the lead, according to the count published by his party. He told reporters that hackers broke into the state electronic tallying system by using credentials of a recently murdered electoral official.

“This is an attack on our democracy,” he said. “It is the machine that has voted.” http://www.dw.com/en/kenyatta-takes-the-lead-in-kenyas-divisive-election-as-odinga-rejects-results/a-40002776

9 August 2017

It’s a dangerous time in Kenya.

From the preliminary presidential election results posted online, it appears that President Uhuru Kenyatta has won a convincing victory.

But opposition leader Raila Odinga has cried foul, and presented documents he says are evidence the election was “a fraud”.

While the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) rushes to verify the results, supporters on both sides are stuck in an odd limbo. …

This is an imperfect system – the voters’ register was neither accurate nor complete, and some irregularities have been found – but not enough to account for 1.5 million votes. …

The opposition is relying on a huge conspiracy to explain its margin of defeat. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-40880601

Sadly, this protesting is not unexpected.

I have been personally following aspects of the Kenya election and was aware that the opposition felt that the vote would be miscounted and that the official results would be wrong.

That being said, violent protests are not the answer. Troubles sadly, however, have been prophesied (Mark 13:8).

Lest anyone think that voter irregularities are limited to places like Africa, consider something that an ABC affiliate published earlier this week:

Judicial Watch found 11 California counties had more registered voters than citizens of voting age.

The group says the number of registered voters was between 102 percent and 144 percent higher than the actual number of people of voting age, depending on the county.

It broke down its findings by county like this: “Imperial (102 percent), Lassen (102 percent), Los Angeles (112 percent), Monterey (104 percent), San Diego (138 percent), San Francisco (114 percent), San Mateo (111 percent), Santa Cruz (109 percent), Solano (111 percent), Stanislaus (102 percent), and Yolo (110 percent).” http://www.abc2news.com/newsy/11-california-counties-might-have-more-registered-voters-than-eligible

And there are other voting irregularities in the USA and other nations. Whether they are enough to change election results can be debated (and sometimes investigated), but they do show that there are problems with getting truly accurate results.

Voting does not solve the problems of this world and is not something we in the Continuing Church of God participate in (a written article of related interest is titled: Should a Christian Vote?; we also have a video: Should Christians Vote?)

Christians are not to look to this world and its politics to solve the problems facing society. Each individual should seek God, repent, be baptized, and live as a true Christian, while looking forward to the glorious hope of the resurrection and the coming Kingdom of God.

Additional note: One reason for my own interest in Kenya itself is that the Continuing Church of God has nearly 2000 members in Kenya.  Plus, I have been to that nation twice–the last time was in February of this year (watch Nairobi Conference: All About Love).

Kenya is in my prayers and hopefully peace and truth will prevail soon in the aftermath of this election.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Should a Christian Vote? This article gives some of the Biblical rationale on this subject. Would Jesus vote for president/prime minister? Is voting in the Bible? This is a subject Christians need to understand. A video of related interest is titled Should Christians Vote?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Africa: Its Biblical Past and Prophesied Future What does the Bible teach about Africa and its future? Did the early Church reach Africa? Will God call all the Africans? A related online sermon is also available: Africa: Its biblical past, present, and future. A video of possible interest is: Nairobi Conference: All About Love.
CCOGAfrica channel. This has messages from African pastors in African languages such as Kalenjin, Kiswahili, Embu, and Dholuo.
CCOGAFRICA.ORG This is a website targeted towards those in Africa.
Are You Being Called by God? Norman Shoaf wrote various points to consider.
Is God Calling You? Alfred E Carrozzo wrote this.
What Did Christ Mean  Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen? This article was by Raymond McNair.
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? A related sermon is also available titled: Real Christian Repentance.
Just What Do You Mean — Repentance? Do you know what repentance is? Have you truly repented? Repented of what? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.
Living as a Christian: How and Why? In what ways do Christians live differently than others. What about praying, fasting, tithing, holy days, and the world? There is also a YouTube video related to that also called: Living as a Christian: How and Why?
Crime can be stopped…here’s how! This was a booklet that was edited with some updates by Dr. Thiel. Here is a link to a related sermon: Crime and How it Will be Stopped!