Former Duck Simon Kimata found chaos on his return to Kenya, and vows to help

By Curtis Anderson The Register-Guard. February 26, 2008 12:55PM

When Simon Kimata boarded an airplane bound for Kenya last December to visit his wife and young son, the former Oregon middle distance runner was aware of the simmering political chaos that had gripped his homeland.

But nothing could prepare him for the bloody aftermath in the days that followed Kenya’s national presidential election.

By most news accounts, Kenya’s horrifying descent into ethnic violence after the disputed national vote on Dec. 2 has left 1,000 people dead, including two prominent athletes, 1988 Olympian Lucas Sang and marathoner Wesley Ngetich.

At present, more than 600,000 Kenyans are estimated to be homeless, with 300,000 of those seeking shelter in refugee camps.

Kimata recently visited one of those camps.

The misery and suffering he encountered left him heartbroken. It also motivated him to...

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