Kenyan cathedral a refuge

ALL Saints Cathedral in Nairobi has been a refuge for generations of protesters escaping police crackdowns, proudly displaying the teargas canisters and spent cartridges once fired into the church.

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Kenya marked Saba Saba Day yesterday, remembering the bloody 1990 uprising that demanded a return to multiparty democracy during the autocratic rule of then-president Daniel arap Moi.

Since then, the grey-stoned, gothic-style All Saints Cathedral - originally built for Kenya's colonial rulers - has often provided shelter from teargas and baton-wielding officers.

Some 3 000 people found refuge there during massive anti-tax protests a year ago, and a further 500 during demos against police brutality over the last month.

"All Saints has distinguished itself as a place of refuge for people who feel harassed by governments," the church's provost Evans Omollo said.