Church leaders are working alongside the Kofi Annan peace talks to play a leading mediation role at the centre of the current crisis in Kenya, according to Christian relief agency Tearfund.
The agency says church leaders are facilitating dialogue between factions within the church and political parties.
“Churches in Kenya are playing a crucial and influential role with the country’s political leaders - working tirelessly in this crisis to find common ground that can lead to a peaceful outcome,” says Peter Gitau, Tearfund’s Regional Advisor in Nairobi.
“We are facilitating and supporting churches in this role - urging leaders and politicians on all sides to come together and resolve differences peacefully. We have visited affected areas together with the political leaders.
“We have been calling for peace, facilitating meetings for church leaders from the affected communities (Luos, Kikuyus, Kalenjins and the Luhyas).”
So far the church political mediation team has held two meetings with President Kibaki and two meetings with Raila Odinga, Kenya’s opposition leader. Church leaders have also presented to the Kofi Annan mediation team a memorandum for the Peace Plan Proposal.
As well as supplying urgently required items to the camps set up for internally displaced people (IDP), Tearfund is involved in the church mediation process. Gitau in Nairobi - working together with the National Christian Churches of Kenya (NCCK), Tearfund partner the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya (EAK), and the Kenya Episcopal Conference (KEC), called a crisis meeting just days after the election on 27 December.
This brought together more than 40 different Christian churches, forming a National Alliance of Churches (NAC). The Alliance has focussed on the range of immediate needs arising from this crisis including political mediation, prayer, media and communication and co-ordination of humanitarian relief.
Gitau added, “This crisis has spiralled to one of unprecedented magnitude in Kenya’s history - a country that had previously remained a haven of peace for such a long time in the region. The churches and all within Kenyan society must recognise the responsibility to protect life. So many innocent people - women and vulnerable children - are caught up in this needless suffering.”
Up to 1,000 people have now been killed in the factional tribal violence. Over a quarter of a million people have fled their homes to reach crowded camps at Burnt Forest, Eldoret, Kakibora in Kitale, Narok, Kipkelion, Molo and Kuresoi areas in Nakuru, Nairobi and Mombassa.
Tearfund partner agencies have provided urgently required items such as blankets, mosquito nets and mobile sanitation kits. Kate Bowen, working for Tearfund’s Disaster Management Team is in Nairobi helping the partner agencies respond.
Missions
Kenya’s churches driving peaceful resolution to crisis
Church leaders are working alongside the Kofi Annan peace talks to play a leading mediation role at the centre of the current crisis in Kenya, according to Christian relief agency Tearfund.
Posted: Thursday, 14 February 2008, 9:16 (EST)
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