Nairobi, Kenya, Aug 2, 2007 / 07:56 am
A Kenyan court found yesterday that an American priest, whose death was originally ruled to be suicide, was actually murdered, contrary to an FBI finding. The court has ordered a new police investigation into his death.
Fr. John Kaiser, a 67 year-old priest originally from Perham, Minnesota worked in Kenya for 35 years and was well known as an advocate for human rights.
It has been speculated that he was killed because he accused some of Kenya's most powerful politicians of being responsible for political violence in 1991-92 that was carried out under the guise of tribal fighting. He also helped teenage girls pursue cases of rape against a former powerful Cabinet member.
His body was found on August 24, 2000 on the side of a busy highway between the town of Naivasha and Nairobi, the Kenyan capital. His shotgun was found by his side, and his pickup truck was 33 feet away in a ditch, according to the AP.