ELDORET, Kenya- First Lady Rachel Ruto has presided over the reopening of Kiambaa KAG Church in Uasin Gishu County, nearly 18 years after dozens of people seeking refuge inside the sanctuary were killed during Kenya’s 2007–2008 post-election violence.
The completed KAG Christian Life Assembly Kiambaa complex was officially opened on Friday, September 11, 2026, marking a new chapter for a site associated with one of the darkest episodes in Kenya’s recent history.
Speaking during the ceremony, Rachel described the reopening as an occasion for remembrance, reconciliation and renewed hope.
“We gather as a congregation, a community and a nation to honour the memory of those we lost. We give thanks to the faith that endured and the heart that chose reconciliation,” she said.
The new complex includes a sanctuary, an indoor games hall, a multipurpose hall and a children’s playground.
The First Lady said the rebuilt church represented the resilience of residents who chose to rebuild their community despite the trauma of the attack.
What happened at Kiambaa Church?
On January 1, 2008, hundreds of people sought refuge at the Kenya Assemblies of God church in Kiambaa as violence spread following the disputed 2007 presidential election.
An armed mob surrounded the church, blocked its exits, and set the building on fire. Most of those sheltering inside were women, children and elderly people.
Contemporary reports placed the number of people killed at about 30, although different investigations and media reports recorded varying figures.
Human Rights Watch documented at least 28 deaths, while the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission recorded a mass grave containing 26 victims.
Reuters reported at the time that about 30 people died in the fire, which pushed the nationwide post-election violence death toll towards 250 in the opening days of the crisis.
Witnesses said attackers threw stones at the building before barricading entrances with bicycles, mattresses and other materials.
The church was then set ablaze while people remained trapped inside.
The Kiambaa killings became a defining image of the violence that followed the disputed election results.
More than 1,100 people were killed across Kenya, while hundreds of thousands were driven from their homes.
The violence ended after President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga signed a power-sharing agreement on February 28, 2008, following mediation led by former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
The ICC cases
The Kiambaa attack later featured in investigations by the International Criminal Court into crimes committed during the post-election violence.
President William Ruto, then a senior opposition politician, and radio journalist Joshua arap Sang were charged with crimes against humanity over the wider violence in the Rift Valley.
Both denied the charges.
In April 2016, ICC judges vacated the charges after ruling that the prosecution’s evidence was insufficient to sustain the case.
The ruling did not amount to an acquittal and allowed for the possibility of fresh proceedings if new evidence emerged.
The judges differed on the reasons for the case’s collapse, with the court recording concerns about witness interference and political intimidation.
No one has been successfully prosecuted at the ICC for the Kiambaa church killings.
Rachel Ruto was never charged or accused of involvement in the attack.
Reopening draws mixed reactions
Images of Rachel cutting a ribbon and touring the new church complex generated sharply divided reactions online.
Some Kenyans welcomed the reopening as a significant step for a community that had lived with the physical and emotional scars of the massacre for nearly two decades.
They praised the construction of a new sanctuary and facilities for children and community activities, describing the development as a symbol of healing.
Others questioned the decision to have the First Lady preside over the ceremony because of the church’s connection to the post-election violence and the former ICC case involving her husband.
Several commentators argued that rebuilding the church should not replace accountability, compensation and continuing support for survivors and families who lost relatives.
Others cautioned against turning a memorial site into a platform for political arguments, insisting that the victims and local congregation should remain at the centre of the story.
Amnesty International has previously said many survivors continue to wait for justice and reparations years after the attacks.
