Missionary did not commit suicide

(There is a glitch in the ICN archives which gives an incorrect date on the headline page of some older stories.)

The Catholic Justice and Peace commission of Kenya has rejected reports that that Fr John Kaiser, the Mill Hill Missionary found dead on 24 August 2000 in Naivasha, killed himself.

After a meeting held at the Holy Family Basilica in Nairobi, the 30-member commission issued a statement expressing concerns over reports that police investigators were saying that the 67 year old missionary had taken his own life.

In their statement they pointed out that the initial autopsy found that Fr Kaiser, parish priest of Kilegoris, had been killed by a high velocity rifle, fired at a distance.

Since September, the commission has been defending Fr Kaiser, who they say, was killed to "silence the voice of reason". For many years he carried out crusading human rights work on behalf of the poor. During an inquiry commission, he criticised two powerful Kenyan State Ministers, Ole Ntimama and Nicholas Biwot for their part in the 1993 tribal clashes. Lately, he also helped several teenage girls pursue sexual abuse cases against Cabinet member Julius Ole Sunkuli.

See Missionary killed in Kenya, ICN, 29 August 2000.