Posted: 1/04/08
Kenya violence affects Wayland students
By Jonathan Petty
Wayland Baptist University
LIMURU, Kenya—Students attending the Wayland Baptist University campus near Nairobi have had family members killed in the violence that has erupted following a disputed election. Administrators are monitoring the situation to determine whether to postpone the start of a new semester.
Wayland’s campus, sponsored in conjunction with the Kenya Baptist Theological College, is about 24 kilometers from Nairobi where some of the worst violence has occurred.
No classes are meeting now, but they are scheduled to resume on Jan. 14. Don Ashley, associate professor of religion at Wayland’s campus in Anchorage, journeyed to Kenya with his family prior to Christmas and is scheduled to teach a course beginning later this month.
Rick Shaw, dean of the Kenya campus, reported Ashley and his family are in no danger at this time. If the situation becomes too dangerous, they will return to the United States, and classes at the Kenya campus will be postponed.
Shaw, director of the Wayland Missions Center, currently is in Plainview but is scheduled to leave for Kenya Jan. 11.
“I really don’t know what I’m going to do,” Shaw said. “I will watch it probably until Monday or Tuesday, then I’ll make a decision.”
Lack of supplies presents the biggest challenge at this time, Ashley said. The school is running low on food and other necessities. Fuel also is at a premium, making transportation to and from the campus difficult for students.
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