Tue, 12 Feb 2008 03:41:01  

By Leo Odera Omolo

  Twenty two church leaders in western Kenya yesterday sent a pastoral letter to the head of Kenya mediation team former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in which they outlines several critical issues regarding the ongoing mediation process
  
  The clergymen who wanted Bishops and church leaders representing Nyanza, Western and Rift Valley province jointly sent for points to Dr. Kofi Annan in which they raised several pertinent questions regarding the current political climate in Kenya and the mediation process
  
  Their letter opened up by saying that in the year 2002 the people of Kenya voted and unanimously rejected the independence party, KANU. The party NARC, the immediate former ruling party was overwhelmingly voted in
  
  | Reasons abound that informed  the massive support for NARC and its then candidate Mwai Kibaki got from Kenyans across the board. We cannot masquerade to know all the reasons, but the few that are obvious as follows.” The pastoral leaders says in part
  
  (a)    NARC was led by a team known as the summit that was made up of people who
  represented the entire Kenyan fabric in terms of ethnicity religious, gender and regions.
  So it was not just a vote for Hon Mwai Kibaki as an individual. But it was a vote for the different persons that represented the various interests in the summit. When Hon. Mwai Kibaki settled in power in 2003, he simply ignored the summit
  
  Hon Mwai Kibaki also deliberately and flagrantly ignored the agreement famously referred to as “MOU” that formed the pre-election unity behind him and indeed went further to simply disregard the very persons who had formed the NARC as a political movement and whose contribution in the election campaign of December 2002 madeit possible for NARC’s resulting victory. The result is that the seed of discord was planted in the hearts of the entire Kenyan population.
  
  “ It is perhaps this seed has since germinated and become the source of the current political turmoil in this country” the church leaders says in their pastoral letter.
  
  NARC was formed and vigorously campaigned on a change platform.  Constitutional change and very door in Kenyan’s heart was the law reforms and constitutional change at that time, and assembly of delegates were working on constitutional Review.
  
  The document they came up with, which is new famous as the BOMAS DRAFT addressed very many issues including devolution of power, sharing of wealth, constitutional overhaul that of fair and independent of the electoral body. It also addressed land reforms, religious industry, equitable distributions of resources and indeed self governance.
  
  Hon Mwai Kibaki indeed promised that within 100 days of his presidency, there would  be a new constitutional dispesation. Unfortunately upon assuming power he simply disregarded and rubbished his promise of constitutional reform. Indeed one of his main lieutenants who was and still a member of his cabinet publicly confessed that their promise to review the constitution was prompted by then the need to remove former President  Daniel Arap Moi from power and give the same to one of their own and that indeed thereafter there was no longer any need to change the constitution.
  
  This contention by Hon Kibaki senior Minister might have obviously planted another seed of discord and despondency and consequently the post- election violence that his germinated total “ says the pastoral letter.
  
  The pastoral open letter sent to Dr. Kofi Annan the Head of mediation team was signed by among the 22 Bishops and church leaders
  
  Among the signatories were (1) Bishop Dr. Washington Ogonyo Ngede of the Power of Jesus around the world, who is also the chairman of the church and coordinator for change in Nyanza (2) Bishop Francis Mwai Abiero of the Anglican Church in Nyanza (3) Arch Bishop Silas Owiti of the V oice of Salvation and Healing Church (4) Bishop Zephania Orao of the New Wine Emmanuel Shalom Church, (5) Arch Bishop Julius Otieno Oloo of the Living Water International, (6) Bishop Peter Chemasiwet of the Baptist Church (7) Bishop Patrick Muganda of Friends Church (8)  Bishop Joshia Koyo the Chairman of NCCK Nyanza Branch (9) Bishop Charles Agwada of the Obedient Pentecostal Church of God, (10) Rev Rev Eliud Nyakundi of the Pentecostal Assembly of God (11) Bishop Japheth  Omucheyi of the Overcoming Faith International (12) Bishop Joshua Kangia of the church of God and Prophecy, (13) Bishop Lawrence Omambia of the Community of Christ Church International (14) Bishop Shem Abudi of the Full
 Gospel Church, (15) Rev Paul Bwabi of the Church of God, (16) Bishop Shanialla of the African Holy Church, (17) Rev William Osen of the Kisumu Christian Community (18) Arch Bishop Dr. Mathews Ajuoga of the church of Christ in Africa (19) Bishop Paul Ochieng Oselu of the Deliverance  Church (20) Bishop Mark Kigohi of the Redeemed Gospel Church (21) Bishop Benjamin Ochieng of the Disciples of Mercy (22) Bishop John Onyango Ober of the Church of God of Prophecy.
  
  (c) NARC promised to get rid of corruption with exception. Within a few months,
  However, it emerged that mega corrupt deals have been committed or were in the offing. Indeed sections of the very government were responsible for blowing the whistle on the re-emerging corruption
  
  This time around billions of shillings belonging to the heavily taxed Kenyan were going into three or four packets. This is a country in which the majority of its people lives on less than a dollar per day. Anger must have automatically ensured when it formed out that instead of employing the tax collected in alleviating poverty, the government was allowing its officers to keep it for themselves.
  
  At the same time , the Bishops says , the price of the basics have gone beyond the one dollar threshold so that over 76 percent of Kenyans cannot afford more than one and balanced meal (diet) per day
  
  This, the Bishops said the  anger way bound to explode eventually into a clash between social classes
  
  How did Hon Mwai Kibaki government reacted when Section of his administration vehemently   resisted the re- emerging corruption
  
  The president immediately elbowed aside the key and respected leaders who had helped him become president and replaced them with members of opposition parties who also happened to be members of the establishment that people of Kenya has rejected at the polls, barely two and half years before. In other word, Kibaki preferred political expediency to people’s will
  
  (d) The NARC summit as earlier alluded representative of all other major ethnic groups
  in Kenya. And because of this Kenyans or at least major section thereof identified with leadership because they felt represented However, upon doing away with the summit, a trend emerged whereby one community seemed to be favoured in government office appointments. When this trend got questioned legislators form that region and community at large would rally around the president giving other Kenyan the impression that they held the attitude of “ This is our presidency exclusively|
  
  This attitude the Bishops Explained, is the reason why in the disputed election of last year, Hon Mwai Kibaki with support of only in two provinces out of the eight provinces of Kenya and these two provinces happened to be populated with members of this same community or their GEMA counsins. Perhaps had he all inclusive government of 2003
  
  The Bishop further wrote “ Although as explained above, we verily believe that this problems has its origin in the tailed or disregarded pre-2002 general election MOU other pertinent issues and failings have played a big  role in the on going political upheaval?
  
  Against the established tradition and gentleman’s in understanding, Hon Mwai Kibaki simply single handedly purported to appoint members of the Electoral commission of Kenya (ECK)He did so blatantly ignoring from the opposition leaders who were up in arms against his unilateral actions. And because he had ignored the previous practices. And eventually when the Election Day came, Kenyans voted peacefully
  
  Tallying of the votes, however was done peacefully and all was well until suspicious arosed from the ECK headquarters. Indeed the employees of the ECK had confessed that they had firms instructions to alter figures to suit only one candidate
  
  “We do not insist that a particular candidate won or lost. However we take the position, that Kenyan who voters should have been convinced that the candidate whose said to have did loose fairly
  
  “In deed matters were not and have not been helped by the utterances of the chairman of the Eck during the tallying and thereafter among  which utterance is hefamous  I don’t know who won the presidential election
  
  
  In this context the ECK chairman and the AG both admitted that the election were flawed during the tallying. The ECK Chairman admitted that he announced the results under pressure from the parties that now proposed to form the unlawful government. Hardly forty minutes after the purported election results were announced a candidate locked himself in state House and with only a few people without even inviting other regional leaders or even their ambassadors got sworn in  as president without even he dignified ceremony such as the one he occasion deserves
  
  These one not behavours that would instill confidence that the announcement reflected the actual results and that there was no mischief. People read Molise and chaos ensued all over the country.
  
  The Bishops letter went on “But without making suggestion, one must wonder how a party that has only managed 43 parliamentary seats would win against a party that has achieved 99 sets And even if this were so can two provinces in a county of eight province purport to govern the whole country to the exclusion of all the six provinces?
  
  If there was fair and representative form of government, can a party that has 16 parliamentary seats deputize a party that has 43 parliamentarians and their call the one that has 99 seats an election looser?
  
  The Bishops further stated that the national reconciliation and healing as well as unity were to prevailing in Kenya and supporting Mwai Kibaki had actually won the election, he had according to the disputed results about 4.5 million votes. His rival Odinga had 4.3 million votes and Musyoka had about 0.8 million votes. Common sense would dictate that a government that seeks national unity and identity should incorporate Mr. Odinga and almost an equal votes with Kibaki because the voting population was divided almost equally between them.
  
  The Bishops finally suggested the following issues to Dr. Kofi Annan for urgent consideration
    
   Immediate constitutional review of effected  
   Truth and reconciliation. Commission to be established and therefore be followed by effort to address the inter-communal anger and hatred.  
   Restriction of property  to their legal and rightful owners  
   Disbandment of the ECK and reconstruction of it with he input of all interred parties with the view of unsure a player does not choose the referred single handedly.  
   A government representing and reflecting the national, mosaic should be put in place as an interim measure while the wheel is put on the more to organize and catches from presidential election  
   In the long term the political leadership should search their hearts and appreciate the origin of the land problems and ethnic cleansing. .How did certain communities find themselves as settlers among other communities. Where di their native ancestral land ? Did it melt into the air?
  
  It is not true that our own leaders are holding onto thousands upon thousand for heat ones of and while firing their own brothers and sisters to do elsewhere?
  
  “ In our view, buying for these people land and forcefully settling them elsewhere would serve no purpose because the problem will recur. The land problem should be addressed and if should be title down their historical origins. We could not immediately confirm whether his memorandum has reached the Dr. and UN supporter mediation Dr. Kofi Annan or not\
  
  END
   leooderaomolo@yahoo.com