Church accuses Kenyan authorities of trying to murder Irish born bishop

THE Catholic Church in Kenya has accused politicians and police in the north of the country of trying to murder an Irishborn bishop as part of an "orchestrated campaign" against it.

Earlier this month, two armed men wearing police uniforms came to the offices of Dr John Mahon, Bishop of Lodwar, and beat up two Dutch brothers. The Church says the attackers came looking to "intimidate, if not kill" Bishop Mahon, but failed to find him. They ran away shooting when the alarm was raised.

Allegations by Bishop Mahon of official corruption have made him a thorn in the flesh" of local politicians and police in the Turkana district, according to the head of the Catholic Church in Kenya, Archbishop Ndingi of Nairobi.

In January, an Irish Franciscan brother, Larry Timmons, was killed in controversial circumstances in the neighbouring province of Nakuru. Brother Timmons was shot by a local policeman only days after he had alleged the policeman and three other local officials were engaged in corruption.

Bishop Mahon wrote to the district commissioner in Turkana late last year to complain about threats against his staff. So far this year, there have been seven incidents of armed robbery on church staff in the district, but no action has been taken by the police. Irish missionaries and agencies working to improve conditions and counter human rights abuses are encountering official indifference and increasing hostility.

Bishop Mahon (75), from Co Down, has worked in Africa with the Kiltegan Fathers since 1959. The leader of Lodwar mission since 1968, he is the last serving Irish bishop in a country which has strong links with missionaries from Ireland.

In an open letter to the government published in national newspapers last week. Archbishop Ndingi highlighted a series of incidents which he said amounted to "a reign of tyranny and oppression". Church meetings had been broken up by police who had also ordered the diocesan magazine to cease publication. Parishes had been told they could not hold meetings without licences, and church adult education teachers had been threatened with arrest if they continued teaching.

The Kenyan government has come under growing international criticism for its human rights record.