Campbell Bridges, a renowned Scottish gemstone miner and expert was killed in Kenya by an armed gang on Tuesday the 11th of August.
Bridges was ambushed and attacked by a group of about 30 men when they were approaching their mining camp. At the time of the attack Campbell Bridges was accompanied by his son, Bruce Bridge and 4 Kenyan employees. According to his son, Campbell Bridges was stabbed on the side.
The son was able to defend himself with a club that he kept in the car. The son also said that the Bridges family had received repeated death threats in the past. Bridges son also charges that the local miners with illegally digging for gems on the family’s 600-hectare property .
A dispute over mining rights at the Tsavo National Park probably led to the murder.
Six men were arrested near his mine in connection with the killing. The arrested men were also reported to be aware of the other attackers.
The Kenya the world knows is not the Kenya we as citizen know, there is another land-rights explosion that is likely to explode if the land reforms are not handled swiftly and for the benefit of the Kenyans. In Kenya most areas the locals have felt disadvantaged in the area of public land acquisition, most of the locals have no access to certain privileges that foreigners are accorded. Let take the current situation, the al-shabab (evil Pirates) money is buying all the properties at the exaggerated prices without any regulation. The senior government officials know, there is no way one can purchase a public utility without senior government approval, yet it happens. The officials get their kick-backs and the land is sold. There is now an antagonism between the local to the Somalia citizens in regard to how they have made life unbearable for Kenyans, watch it soon. Coming back to the point is that a foreigner only needs to lobby through the embassy to access land, yet the locals around whether indigenous or not cannot access the same land even if they where to lobby though their political leadership in a honest way. The tribal clashes that were experienced after the election had little to do with election incitement, but old injustices that were committed by as far as the grandfathers of the victims whether they were alive or not. Election was just the igniting stick, but the flammable contents had already been poured just awaiting for the opportune time. It was either forcefully encroachment into a certain community dominance using the then government machinery and advantages,manupolating of the ignorance of the host community (there is a Swahili saying that 'mjinga akierevuka mwerevu mashakani' meaning that 'when the so called fool arises from ignorance the clever on is in trouble'),Legal purchase or leasing but not acceptable to the host community(thou this is legal but common law sees otherwise, as you can not live as an enemy of a society just because of your money,proffesionalism,creed etc).To the best of my knowledge I have always approves my harmony with my neighbors as the best security, not the government security or systems. This is just one of the burning desire and underlining issues in Kenya. Control on foreigners acquisition of land and properties in Kenya. There are very loose laws in this regard, which should be addressed before the countries next election 2012.Otherwise I see the Delamere being evicted forcefully, the Kenyatta family having to be forced to give away their ill acquired land of which they can’t justify its purchase even to a local village court. The public utilities acquired area having the new malls destroyed etc. As much as I do have a strong belief in the sanctity of life, an American life lost to me is equal to that of a Kenyan brother, but the underlining issues in this scenario are so immense to only be addressed by a murder charge of our brother Scott murderers. Kenya is having an internal hemorrhage, something has to be done before we loose our dear nation.
The Kenya the world knows is not the Kenya we as citizen know, there is another land-rights explosion that is likely to explode if the land reforms are not handled swiftly and for the benefit of the Kenyans. In Kenya most areas the locals have felt disadvantaged in the area of public land acquisition, most of the locals have no access to certain privileges that foreigners are accorded. Let take the current situation, the al-shabab (evil Pirates) money is buying all the properties at the exaggerated prices without any regulation. The senior government officials know, there is no way one can purchase a public utility without senior government approval, yet it happens. The officials get their kick-backs and the land is sold. There is now an antagonism between the local to the Somalia citizens in regard to how they have made life unbearable for Kenyans, watch it soon. Coming back to the point is that a foreigner only needs to lobby through the embassy to access land, yet the locals around whether indigenous or not cannot access the same land even if they where to lobby though their political leadership in a honest way. The tribal clashes that were experienced after the election had little to do with election incitement, but old injustices that were committed by as far as the grandfathers of the victims whether they were alive or not. Election was just the igniting stick, but the flammable contents had already been poured just awaiting for the opportune time. It was either forcefully encroachment into a certain community dominance using the then government machinery and advantages,manupolating of the ignorance of the host community (there is a Swahili saying that 'mjinga akierevuka mwerevu mashakani' meaning that 'when the so called fool arises from ignorance the clever on is in trouble'),Legal purchase or leasing but not acceptable to the host community(thou this is legal but common law sees otherwise, as you can not live as an enemy of a society just because of your money,proffesionalism,creed etc).To the best of my knowledge I have always approves my harmony with my neighbors as the best security, not the government security or systems. This is just one of the burning desire and underlining issues in Kenya. Control on foreigners acquisition of land and properties in Kenya. There are very loose laws in this regard, which should be addressed before the countries next election 2012.Otherwise I see the Delamere being evicted forcefully, the Kenyatta family having to be forced to give away their ill acquired land of which they can’t justify its purchase even to a local village court. The public utilities acquired area having the new malls destroyed etc. As much as I do have a strong belief in the sanctity of life, an American life lost to me is equal to that of a Kenyan brother, but the underlining issues in this scenario are so immense to only be addressed by a murder charge of our brother Scott murderers. Kenya is having an internal hemorrhage, something has to be done before we loose our dear nation.