Introduction
On the 14th -15th October 2008 the National Council of Churches of Kenya and the Inter-Religious Forum facilitated a Conflict Management training session at the Jumia Conference and Country Home in Limuru. The event’s purpose was to mobilize faith communities to respond to the post election violence situation in Kenya. In the end, three objectives were accomplished. The first objective was to create a common understanding of conflict and peace, and the second objective was to develop modalities for working together as faith communities to bring about national healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation. The final objective was to plan for participation in joint interfaith initiatives. The group decided on the following events: A Dialogue Forum (Tuesday, 21st Oct. ,Kibera); Pastoral Visits (Tuesday, 21st Oct. , Kibera); An Exchange Visit (Thursday, 23rd -24th Oct., Nakuru); Ecumenical Fellowships (Sunday, 26th Oct. , PCA Emanuel Church, Kibera)
Exchange Visit; Thursday 23rd – Friday 24th October 2008: The NCCK and the IRF sent a small delegation on a two day “Exchange Visit” to Navasha on 23rd October 2008. The delegation of approximately forty travelled to the Kamara Area and Mai Mahiu where they met with the District Officer and several communities of Internally Displaced Persons. The purpose of the event was to hear from those who were severely affected by the post election conflict. The NCCK and the IRF sought to learn of the IDP’s needs, struggles, and suggestions to discern the “way forward” for Kenya.
The stories and images are disturbing, but they give an honest depiction of how conflict has impacted Kenya.
The delegation met with several faith leaders in the Navasha region: among them were Rev. Simon Mwangini of the African Christian Churches and Schools and Rev. Anthony Karanja of the Anglican Church of Kenya. The two have been extremely involved in pastoral care and advocacy for internally displaced communities. They led the delegation to settlements in Mai Mahiu.
District Officer
Exchange Visit: Reflection on the Kikazi Settlement: The delegation travelled to the Kikazi Community in Mai Mahiu on 24 October 2008. One hundred and fifty (150) families started the community by jointly purchasing 2.5 acres of land. Each family used the $10,000 KShilings given to them for disaster relief by the government to buy the land. The families also will receive an additional $25,000 KShillings to build houses. The day we were visiting the Kikazi was in the process of receiving their money to build new homes.
The delegation met with the District Officer of the region. During the meeting, he admitted his initial discontentment with the families’ purchase of the property. He assumed that their presence might bring more “unwanted” settlements. The D.O. also commended the two pastors for their advocacy, explaining that the religious leaders’ work was instrumental in his decision not to remove the Kikazi Community.
Unfortunately, the Kikazi story of hope, is not common. Each family in the settlement received a total of 35, 000 KShillings, but many Internally Displaced Persons do not receive half of the financial assistance (or advocacy) given to the Kikazi community. Some sources estimate that 300,000 people are still displaced.
Exchange Visit: Reflection on the Familia Settlement: The Familia Community exists less than 2km away and it’s settlers offer a completely different story. The living conditions in this IDP camp are deplorable. Many live in flimsy make-shift tents fastened down by ropes and pins. The fabrics are stained with mud and mildew while holes bore through the sides of the burlap walls. The families live under tarps that are not high enough for an average sized adult to stand erect and not wide enough for that person to lay across the width of the room. The combination of mud and dirty puddles on the floor are a bitter reminder of the tent’s lack of insulation from the rain.
This camp had only two toiletries for sixty (60) families, so households keep a small pot underneath their bed to defecate. A mixture of rotten food, sour body odour and bile permeates the air with a stench that at times is unbearable. The closest primary school is 3km away and the young students’ long walk is made more dangerous by the busy highways positioned between their homes and the school. The water in the camp is adequate but salty and the closest health facility is almost 5km away.
The people we met want their pictures taken and their stories told, so that they might receive assistance. The children in the camp smile with an unexplainable resilience. Their parents’ faces convey resentment towards the tragedy that redefined their lives. They desire what any human deserves: decency and dignity.
Ecumenical Fellowship; 26TH Sunday October 2008: The National Council of Churches of Kenya and the Inter-Religious Forum held an interfaith service on 26 October 2008 to conclude the week’s peace and reconciliation events. The service was held at the Presbyterian Church of East Africa’s Emmanuel Church in Kibera. Emmanuel Church was the chosen site because of its recent history is a strong reminder of Kenya’s need for reconciliation. The church was burned down less than a year ago, along with several other churches in the region, as an act of ethnic based destruction. Since that time, the church leadership and its congregation have worked towards reconciling differences and attaining a community of peace. This task has not been easy nor will it be in the future, yet the Emmanuel community strives towards this goal. Sunday’s service was an important towards the NCCK and the IRF’s desired hope and vision for peace. Prayers on reconciliation were offered and scriptures on forgiveness were read from the sacred texts of the Christian, Hindu and Muslim faith traditions. The highlight of the service was Bishop Moffat Joseph Kiliba’s message to the congregation. He offered three essential points towards attaining reconciliation: first we reconcile with God, then we reconcile with ourselves, and finally we reconcile with our neighbour. His sermon urged the congregation to love radically so that healing could occur in Kenya
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