From: Ouko joachim
Colleagues Home & Abroad Regional News
BY FR JOACHIM OMOLO OUKO, AJ
NAIROBI-KENYA
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2012
The scourge of corruption and nepotism, lack of democratic principles and accountability in Kenya makes it almost impossible to implement the second African Synod on reconciliation and healing.
This is particularly as the Kenya Episcopal Conference- Catholic Justice and Peace Commission rightly put it in their 2012 Lenten Campaign, many communities suffering cycle of violence throughout their history do so based on negative perception that are devoid of their common values tapped from their valuable resources.
Majority of community or “ethnic” conflicts are often instigated by key people like the political elite, community elders who unfortunately, never suffer the brunt of conflicts brought about by their selfishness for power.
This negative perception and instigation by political elite has also interfered with the implementation of the National Cohesion set up after President assented to the National Cohesion and Integration Bill, 2008. The objective was to promote and facilitate equality of opportunity, good relations, harmony and peaceful co-existence between persons of different ethnic, religious and racial communities in Kenya and to advice the Government on all these aspects.
Kenya has never had opportunity as a country to have candid dialogue on ethnicity and race, even though ordinary Kenyans are willing to dialogue and co-exist as Maryknoll Priest, Fr Joseph Healey highlights in one of his stories with the locale in Kenya.
Two examples: “I Am a Christian First” is Story No. 173 in his database: After the post December, 2007 election crisis and the resulting tribalism-related violence in Kenya in early 2008, a Catholic woman in a St. Paul Chaplaincy Center Prayer Group in Nairobi said: “I am a Christian first, a Kenyan second and a Kikuyu third.”
“Pray for Me to Forgive President Mwai Kibaki” is Story No. 327 in the database: During a meeting of the St. Jude South Small Christian Community (SCC) near the main highway going to Uganda in Yala Parish in Kisumu Archdiocese, Kenya in March, 2008 the members reflected on the Gospel passage from John 20:23: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
Speaking from the heart one Luo man emotionally asked the SCC members to pray for him. He said: “Pray for me to forgive President Mwai Kibaki.” During the post election crisis period in Kenya he said that every time he saw the Kikuyu president on TV he got upset and angry and so he needed healing. The other SCCs members were deeply touched and prayed feelingly for him. He said that he felt peaceful again.
Fr Healey refers to this grassroots level in Small Christian Communities as “living ecclesial communities.” The Church as the Family of God Model as a new ecclesial option that focuses on building families and building SCCs that are involved in reconciliation, justice and peace in the Catholic Church and in the wider society.
Fr Healey argues that while revisiting the Small Christian Communities Pastoral Option as a means of responding to the ministry of reconciliation through justice and peace, the Theology of the Church-Family of God must be further explored in view of enhancing reconciliation and Peacebuilding in Africa.
In Kenya the Synod comes at the time slide into 2008 ethnic violence, which so far has generated 300,000 refugees and left more than 1, 500 dead has never been reconciled and healed. The principle here is that those who preach justice and peace must first be seen to be just and peaceful themselves.
There are number of issues to be considered first before we talk of true reconciliation and healing in Kenya. Catholic Bishop Cornelius Korir of Eldoret Diocese says the needs of all communities should be addressed first. Children should be taught about peace and co-existence in their formative years, he adds.
While the bishop maintains that tribal politics was to blame for recurrent election-related violence in Kenya, he also identifies poverty as an underlying cause of conflicts, noting that some idle and unemployed youths are normally misused by politicians to engage in violence.
According to Hassan Omar Hassan of the Kenya Human Rights commission, unless we do away with nepotism and tribalism cannibalises in Kenya reconciliation and healing cannot be possible. Kenya he says is to deal first with the report released by the NCIC detailing the imbalance in public service appointments.
The report indicated that 22 per cent of public servants and over 50 per cent of the State House staff hail from Kibaki’s Kikuyu community. This in both practice and perception he believes illustrates negative ethnicity.
The reality or perception of tribalism manifest in the inequities in public appointments and national resources during Kibaki’s first term Omar says led us to the path of a near national collapse following the disputed 2007 presidential election results.
The recently appointed Chief of Defence Forces, General Julius Karangi, the Commandant of the Administration Police, Kinuthia Mbugua, the Director General of the National Security Intelligence Service Michael Gichangi, the Director of the Criminal Investigations Department Ndegwa Muhoro are all from Kibaki ethnic community. The Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere is a Meru.
This is contrary to the Article 241 (4) of the Constitution which expressly states the composition of the command of the Defence Forces shall reflect the regional and ethnic diversity of the people of Kenya.
It is against the background that the NCIC cannot expect a process of cohesion and reconciliation through hugging and cuddling. It must have the foundations of justice, equity and fairness.
Similar report released recently indicates that ethnic credentials seen to count in the hiring of new college and campus bosses. Colleges and campuses that have appointed local people to head them include Chuka, Kimathi, Kisii, Pwani, Narok, Kabianga, Kitui, Bondo and Taita.
According to the report, one administrator had his appointment withdrawn after local MPs reportedly rejected him on the grounds he was an “outsider” since he came from a neighbouring community.
The report indicates further that the big five ethnic groups in Kenya – Kikuyu, Luhya, Kalenjin, Luo and Kamba – dominate the workforce of the centers of higher education.
Unless all these vices are resolved, it is only then what the G7 leaders led by Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, Eldoret North MP William Ruto and Sabaoti MP Eugene Wamalwa vowed to unite in the fight against negative ethnicity in the country can be practical.
People for Peace in Africa (PPA)
P O Box 14877
Nairobi
00800, Westlands
Kenya
Tel +254-7350-14559/+254-722-623-578
E-mail- ppa@africaonline.co.ke
omolo.ouko@gmail.com
Website: www.peopleforpeaceafrica.org