KENYA: Church leaders vow not to leave country to politicians alone

"We want to keep this one as a reminder of what happened to our church," says Obare, referring to the Springs of Life Lutheran church in Kibera which protesters had torched at the time of the country's post-election violence that broke out in the final days of 2007.

Like the Lutherans, a Pentecostal group is also traumatized, in this case by the burning of the Assemblies of God church in Kiambaa village near the western town of Eldoret. There 35 people died inside the church, either lethally hacked or burned alive.

Scenes like these have left a disturbed Church which is vowing never again to let politicians alone rule the country. "The guns have fallen silent," has become a common phrase following Kenya's recent power-sharing agreement that pulled the country back from an abyss.

"We assure Kenyans of our continued support and commitment to contribute fully in the emerging national dialogue and the search for lasting peace," said the Rev. Peter Karanja, general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Kenya. He was leading the Inter-Religious Forum in a March 1 meeting with peace mediator Kofi Annan, the former United Nations secretary general.

Weeks after the bitterly contested general election of December 27, which the incumbent party said it had won and which the opposition said had been rigged, the Church said it had demonstrated partisan values, but that it wants to initiate a new start.

"We believe that failure can be turned for our benefit if we humbly admit it and commit ourselves to a new beginning," said faith leaders in February.

Church leaders had told Annan that the bulk of the real work and effort will need to be undertaken in rebuilding relationships and infrastructure.

"The Kenyan people have a responsibility for their role in the crisis, forgiving one another, embracing one another across the communities and contributing to rebuilding of the country," Karanja said. He was speaking after President Mwai Kibaki of the Party of National Unity and opposition leader Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement agreed to form a coalition government.

Annan had parted with a warning that these issues were too important to be left to the politicians alone.
 
Annan said, "You do not let the politicians do it alone. You must go to the grassroots and reconcile the people."

Churches are engaged in the process of setting guidelines for the creation of a national healing and reconciliation framework, constitutional review, as well as the need for institutional reform.

The churches are also assisting in attempts to resettle more than 300,000 people who have been displaced, and who are still camping out in churches, schools, police stations and government compounds. In the camps for those who have been left without homes, the churches continue to mobilize their followers to provide food, clothing and non-food items, and some of those displaced are slowly returning home.
 
"We are giving those who are going back seeds to plant and tools. We are planning to engage in an elaborate conflict resolution program," said Joseph Wangai, head of development for the Anglican Church of Kenya and a partner of Action by Churches Together (ACT) International.