More on Kenya
January 13, 2008
I had dinner with my friend Sylvia from Uganda the other night and she was telling me how the unrest in Kenya has affected her country and Kenya's neighbor, Uganda. Food and fuel are in short supply in Uganda right now, because much of what eastern Uganda receives comes through Kenya. She told me that her KLM flight from Kampala had to be rerouted so that the plane could find fuel in order to make the trip to Amsterdam. We live in an interconnected world, and what is happening in Kenya should be a concern for all of us.
The tension is far from over in Kenya, for this week the parliament convenes for the first time and the opposition party has vowed not to recognize President Kibaki. Kibaki has vowed to respond to any demonstrations with force.
In my last post, I had a word for the Kenyan Church. Today I have one for the western Church and it is this: Colonialism and specifically white people bear some responsibility for this most recent crisis in Kenya. Here is a quote from an article from the Associated Press published in the Baltimore Sun:
The tensions trace back to Kenya's colonial era, when white settlers seized land in the Rift Valley of West Kenya. The Kikuyus who lived there were dispersed throughout the country, and the British ruled by keeping the ethnic groups divided.
At independence in 1963, Kenya's first president, Jomo Kenyatta, took over. Kenyatta, a Kikuyu, helped Kikuyu families buy land from white settlers, including territories across the Masai- and Kalenjin-dominated Rift Valley. He also packed top government posts with his ethnic kinsmen.
The Kikuyu quickly prospered, growing into the most powerful ethnic group in the country, running business and politics. The favoritism shown to Kikuyus fueled simmering anger among the nation's 41 other tribes. Kikuyus are the largest tribe, but only about 22 percent of Kenya's 34 million people. The Kalenjin make up 12 percent, and the Luo - the tribe of presidential challenger Raila Odinga - about 13 percent.
Now the old bitterness is erupting over the land, which stretches golden with corn to the horizon, dotted with acacia trees.
"Many people were disposed of their land during the colonial era, and these historical injustices were not addressed until now," said Odenda Lumumba, national coordinator of the Kenya Land Alliance.
You can read the entire article here. There is also a good article entitled Kenya: Power Sharing is Not the Answer for Citizens that alludes to the same colonial influence that created today's problem.
My point is that we cannot sit on the outside and shake our head and point our finger at the Kenyans. We must repent in part for the role our ancestors had in creating the mess that exists today in Kenya and Africa. My Ukrainian ancestors had nothing to do with the problems in Africa, but they would have had a role if they were given the chance. So even though I am of Ukrainian descent, I am repenting and asking God to forgive "us" for the colonial rule white men exerted in Africa. What's more, even though I was not part of the problem, I am willing to be part of the solution.
Keep praying for Kenya and pray that God will show you any potential role you can play in the healing process. I have no plans to go to Kenya any time soon, but I know it's just a matter of time before I return. When I do, I want to be an agent of reconciliation. I can't change the entire world, but I can change my world, wherever that may be. If Kenya is part of that personal world, and I think it is, then I am ready and willing to be an ambassador for Christ, helping to correct the sins of the past. How about you? Where are you willing to be an agent of reconciliation?
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The article is spot on on the problems in Kenya and the fact that part of the land that Kikuyu's are being chased away from originally belonged to them any way. The reality is, Kikuyu's suffered most during the colonial era and a very small percentage of other tribes even participated in the uprising. Many lost their mothers, fathers, children and their land to top it all.
They also have a nack for business and thus their success rather like the Indian community. If you went to the farthest part of the country, you are most likely than not to find that some form of business there is owned by a Kikuyu. The same applies to other countries in Africa and the rest of the world. I remember someone recently commenting how they were in West Africa and came across some Kikuyus who had set up shop there.
Their business acumen thus their success is well known just as their tendancies to be kleptomanias too. :-)
We just pray that the situation changes. Their are concerns that that this was not merely post-election violence but rather a case of ethnic cleansing. May God help Kenya.
Posted by: Victoria | January 14, 2008 at 03:54 AM
Hello John,
I feel obliged to, with respect, address a few lopsided comments from Victoria above:-
1. "the fact that part of the land that Kikuyu's are being chased away from originally belonged to them any way". This is not true. The Kikuyus are mostly being chased from Eldoret (originally belonging to the Kalenjin tribe); Kisumu (originally belonging to the Luo tribe) ;Bungoma-(originally belonging to the Luhyia tribe); and Mombasa (originally belonging to the Arabs and Mijikenda tribe).
2. "Kikuyu's suffered most during the colonial era and a very small percentage of other tribes even participated in the uprising"- No doubt a huge portion of the Kikuyu tribe suffered a lot from the colonialists. Since their land was in the Highlands, the colonialists preferred the cool altitute. They therefore expropriated a lot of Kikuyu land. Kikuyu territory was also close to the capital city of Nairobi as opposed to the rest of the country which was in the hinterland. They had more interaction with the colonialists.Thus it followed that more Kikuyus participated in the nationalist struggle compared to other tribes. The downside is that some Kikuyus therefore, for good reason, felt "entitled" to the presidency and during the reign of the first president (a Kikuyu) a lot of them vowed that the presidency would NEVER leave their hands. Hence one can begin to understand the 'need' to steal the election. (the EU, USA, and domestic observers all agree that there were irregularities in the elections. The chairman of the Electoral Commission stated on television that he does not know who won the elections!)In fact there are some Kikuyus who beleive that they are the Jews of Kenya. This naturally breeds resentment from the other tribe.
3. "They also have a knack for business and thus their success rather like the Indian community. If you went to the farthest part of the country, you are most likely than not to find that some form of business there is owned by a Kikuyu"-This is true. Kikuyus are good businessman. This is largely because of their early interaction with the white settlers who then introduced them to capitalism. Hence, when the rest of the tribes are 'just waking up' the Kikuyus are miles ahead in terms of business acumen. Of course, this would invoke petty jealousy on the part of the other communities. However, this is half the story. The other half is that the Kikuyu bourgeosie/elite was highly favoured by the 1st President. For example, a lot of them own land in many parts of the country, acquired through fraudulent means. this of course led to resentment on the part of other communities; the sad thing is that they did not isolate the real culprits (the Kikuyu elite) from the Kikuyu ordinary folk who did not gain anything from the presidency.
4. "Their are concerns that that this was not merely post-election violence but rather a case of ethnic cleansing".This is partly true. The botched elections only brought to the surface issues that people had ben grappling with for long. (I am of the opinion that Kenya was NEVER peaceful. We just had calm on the exterior while we were boiling beneath. We only needed time and a suitable factor to ignite the flames). The other tribes (mainly the Luo, Luhyia & Kalenjin tribes) felt that after Kibaki (a Kikuyu) this was their chance at the presidency. Hence the anger when they felt that their victory had beeen 'snatched' from their teeth.
5. Unfortunately, the Church also got caught up in the tribal divide. Different churches (sometimes even different pastors belonging to the same congregation!) supported (and even campaigned) for either of the two protagonists largely because of their tribal affiliations. That is why the church cannot broker peace at this time-it is already heavily compromised. Unfortunately, there is currently no single individual who commands enough respect across both divides. That is why we need a foreign mediator to come and tell us what we already know.
6. The word of the Lord is rare in the land. None of the mainstream pastors have told us what God is saying at this critical time. God is speaking; our pastors have not tuned in! Hence the continued lack of respect for church leaders. How sad!
7. It is important to understand where eveyone is coming from before trying to offer prescritpions. Unfortunately there are a lot of half truths being peddled from both sides.
8. We need peace. That will mean not only knowing the real truth about the presidential elections but also going back into history, re-opening the wounds and administering a solution. South Africa did it very well through a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
9. Christians need to stand and follow the truth. We should remember always Martin Luther King's words "True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice".
"I propose to beg no question, to shrink from no conclusion, but to follow truth wherever it may lead.... If the conclusions that we reach run counter to our prejudices, let us not flinch; if they challenge institutions that have long been deemed wise and natural, let us not turn back." Henry George,(Progress and Poverty).
When we get here, healing will have started in the land. We will get there!
Posted by: Rogo | January 14, 2008 at 09:30 AM
John wrote:
"My Ukrainian ancestors had nothing to do with the problems in Africa, but they would have had a role if they were given the chance."
And I reply:
Is there a human being on the planet about whom this could not properly be said?
If not, then the "logic" by which you assign blame to yourself does not apply specifically to whites, but to all humans everywhere. And while I suppose it's a good attitude to regard all men's sins as potentially one's own ("There, but for the grace of God, go I..."), it's particularly UNhelpful, in this age of race hustlers and their control issues, to be assigning particular blame to "all whites."
Yes, I'm on board with praying for Kenya and recognizing my connection to my brothers there. No, I'm not buying that "whites" as a category are particularly culpable.
British colonialism was well-intentioned but ham-handed, and created lots of problems. We can promote a common interest in solving those problems without giving in to illogical, race-based guilt trips.
Posted by: Plumb Bob | January 15, 2008 at 12:10 PM