A 73-year-old aid worker and missionary from Telemark has been found murdered in his home in Kisumu, Kenya. A family friend told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) that they believe he was killed in connection with a robbery.
Jan Kristensen, who had been decorated by King Harald V for his work with street children in Kenya, lived in a housing development on the outskirts of Kisumu with other foreign missionaries as his neighbours. Otto Halvorsen, a close friend of Kristensen, told NRK that three men had come to the gate of the area where Kristensen lived and asked for him.
They were allowed entry by a security guard and entered his home, according to Halvorsen. Kristensen’s family later found him dead in the house, and the three men have been arrested.
Frode Andersen, a spokesman for Norway’s foreign ministry in Oslo, confirmed that “a Norwegian citizen, a 73-year-old man” had reportedly “lost his life” in Kenya. Norway’s embassy in Kenya has been in contact with the man’s family and was providing assistance. “We don’t want to address further questions on the issue at this point,” Andersen told news bureau NTB.
Kristensen had worked as a missionary and aid worker in Kenya for more than 20 years.
newsinenglish.no staff
