Tear Gas

Tear gas hurts your eyes, burns your nose and throat and is - in general, very uncomfortable. Not sure how many times this has happened to you -- but I've had one too many tear gas bombs blow up next to me this week.

In one day, I was gassed four or five times.

No, I wasn't creating riots. The police and riot police turned on the journalists one afternoon. We were waiting for the demonstration to start. I think everyone was bored. The police shot over our heads. They charged us with horses and ran at us with their sticks waving and shields up.

The funny thing about doing this to journalists is that no one runs away or really budges. The video guys just start rolling film, trying to get a good, tight shot. The photographers snap as many pictures as they can to capture the action. Reporters start screaming questions at the top of their lungs - "Why are you charging us? Do you care to comment?"

Don't think I'm only making jokes about the situation in Kenya. It is serious business here. But, I am getting tired of tear gas, bullets, police chases, fires, etc. The Kenyan people are even more tired of it than I am (after all, I'm a journalist looking for a good story).

Pray for the police to have proper restraint. Many of them do not really believe in what they are being asked to do. Sometimes, emotions and the fact that someone is threatening your life can cause the police to react with severe force. Other times, police just do these kinds of thing. Pray for restraint and for wisdom on behalf of the police and military.