Swindon teacher mourns brother in Kenya (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Swindon teacher mourns brother in Kenya

8:30am Monday 21st January 2008 in Swindon By Emily Walker

A HEART-BROKEN Swindon teacher has told how she heard her brother had been brutally murdered - in a text message.

Now Winnie Oluoch fears the rest of her family in Kenya could be at risk as violence continues to flare in the African country.

Her younger brother Martin was attacked with an axe, beaten and stabbed to death in the recent violence.

"He was driving a car for the parliamentary candidate James Orengo, the candidate for the opposition party," said Winnie, of Freshbrook.

"They were in a convoy of three vehicles.

"He was in the vehicle at the front when a group of youths blocked the road.

"The people in the other cars managed to get out, but he was not quick enough.

"They got hold of him. He was brutally murdered. He was axed in the head.

"The post mortem said he had broken ribs so they must have beaten him and finally someone stabbed him in the chest.

"He was crying and pleaded with the people to leave him.

"People who witnessed it said he was crying out for his life, asking them not to kill him.

"I got a text message from my sister about an hour after it happened. It just said Martin's dead. Some thugs attacked the convoy.' "He was still at the scene. They left him there for about four hours."

Martin, 31, died on December 19, just two days before his birthday.

A few days later Winnie flew to Kenya to bury her brother and to investigate the circumstances leading up to his death.

But she soon found herself caught up in the violence.

"There was fighting and police shooting everywhere," she said.

"The worst of the violence was in Kisumu where I was staying with friends. When I went to Kisumu I didn't know it was going to be that bad.

"I only went there to bury my brother, but I didn't get a chance to get any of the answers I wanted.

"There was so much violence no one could leave their homes."

Now Winnie says she is terrified that she will get more bad news about her family.

"These people who killed my brother were hired political thugs," she said.

"That's what makes me so angry.

"People in Kenya are too scared to leave their homes.

"They can't speak up to get justice for their families, but I want to do everything I can.

"People in England and other countries need to pressure the Government to do something about the situation on Kenya.

"The Ghanaian president was supposed to visit and Kofi Anan put off his trip. The Kenyan Government needs to do the right thing.

"I don't feel strongly in favour of either party - just in a fair and democratic election.

"And I want peace."

Winnie is starting a campaign to try and force the Government in Kenya to make changes.

She is working with the Peace And Justice Group at St Peter's Catholic Church.

Robert Barratt, from the Peace And Justice group, said: "I have known Winnie for a while through the Catholic community and it was terrible to hear about her brother.

"At the moment we are speaking to South Swindon MP Anne Snelgrove about asking the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to provide help for people like Winnie and her family and many other families like hers caught up in this terrible violence."