Benson Alusiola Khamasi
It is with great sadness that we announce the loss of our colleague, Benson Alusiola Khamasi.
Benson was one of five key team members of AfriNov, Quakers in Britain's East African peacebuilding and nonviolence partners.
He died aged 46 on Monday, 2 September, after a violent mugging on 30 August.
Benson was a lifelong Quaker. He is survived by his wife Esnas Mukhwana Kisiang'ani (39) and three children, Celine (13), Symon (8) and Scott (2).
A deeply intellectual, warm and funny human being, Benson is a huge loss for AfriNov, the communities he supported and his East African colleagues, to say nothing of his family and community.
Benson, who lived in Kakamega County, was one of the original team in Kenya trained in nonviolence, power, and strategic campaigning in 2010.
He later became AfriNov programme officer in Western, Nyanza and North Rift Regions.
Former East Africa programme manager for Quakers in Britain, Tobias Wellner, shared how much he learnt from working with Benson and how inspirational he found his practical approach.
Mourning his loss, Paul Parker, recording clerk for Quakers in Britain, said: “We are all in shock. We send our deepest sympathies to his family.
“Quakers see all life as sacred. Benson dedicated his life to working for the peace which is so central to our faith.
“Thanks to the campaigns he supported, and his work on peaceful elections through civic education and more, that peace is more of a reality across Kenya. We will not forget him."
Benson Alusiola Khamasi, 7 July 1978 - 2 Sept 2024
Tribute from a friend and colleague
Wilson Yator, nonviolence community volunteer in the North Rift region of Kenya:
"It is with deep sorrow that I come to terms with your passing on my 'Boss' and friend, Khamasi.
I today pay tribute to a kind soul, an indulgent heart and a sound mind. We worked, we shared, we laughed.
Your input and a light sense of humour in our co-facilitation ignites memorable moments full of enthusiasm to de-escalate social injustices. The examples you'd use were exemplary.
You're not here Benson, but your presence lingers in the AfriNov shadows. You don't see what I see, but I hear you laughing and jolting when I laugh. You don't know what I feel, but I feel you, feeling for the oppressed.
I lack words to mourn you 'Omwami' but as they say "Lives are like rivers: Eventually they go where they must. Not where we want them to."
We'll miss you Boss Benson Khamasi. Fare thee well brother."