January 2008
This week a ray of hope started emerging in Kenya as promises of a political compromise were made. The mediation efforts led by the former UN General Secretary Kofi Annan started to show promises of a potential resolution to the stalemate that has almost brought the nation to its knees. In Annan’s words there is ‘Cautious Optimism.” Violence has started to abate and politicians and leaders have started going to communities with a message of peaceful co-existence.
On the other hand many buses hired by the government continued to move internally displaced persons from camps relocating them to their tribal districts. The reality being created here is one where ethnic cleansing is still taking place even as violence ceases since people are forced to leave their places of work and residence to return to areas dominated by their tribes.
In January and early February we were forced to call off our community programs in two communities. In Mt. Elgon where we were to host a week of training with the community, our contact persons (including a local county leader) were hiding in the forest due to violence and threats of death. It was also hard to get transportation from Nairobi to western Kenya. However, with violence abating, we are scheduled to undertake the training programs and the projects in these communities from the last week of this month.
The young business entrepreneurs in the incubator facility also faced great challenges in January since virtually all business had been brought to a standstill. There is hope that as things calm down and business picks up, that most of them will start generating some income to allow their businesses to grow.
Possibilities Africa (PA) held a conflict resolution dialogue forum with young professionals’ from different tribal communities. In the forum it was obvious that people from different communities harbored strong personal sentiments against the government and indeed against other communities. The forum provided an avenue for people to vent, express their hurts and a moment of prayer for healing together.
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At the forum we decided to continue holding similar forums to extend healing and forgiveness across the country jointly as individuals representing different tribes in Kenya. This will be done as we undertake our usual community work across the country and through different forums that will be organized throughout the year. |
What happened recently revealed how Kenyan communities lack values and vision for cohesiveness, harmony and development. It reflected communities filled with hate, bitterness, revenge and retrogressive values. This was revealed at the church level, at the community leadership levels and at the educated young professionals’ levels. The political class has also used this to their advantage rather than providing leadership for change.
We at Possibilities Africa see our role in transforming these communities through spreading of Christian values as the way to heal Kenya today and for the future. It is our desire that you continue praying for us as we seek for true healing and transformation across Kenyan communities –since PA works in diverse communities, especially among the three main feuding communities.
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