Divine Intervention for Kenya’s Reconciliation

The Kenyan Cabinets’ agreement on the trials in ‘normal’ court for the perpetrators of the December 2007 post-election violence, which caused anarchy and claimed hundreds of lives as well as destroyed property worth billions and forced thousands to abandon their homes and property to flee for their lives, the Kenya government has now beseeched religious leaders to help reconcile and heal people. People who had been morally and psychologically damaged as a result of the December2007 presidential elections Through Prophet David Owo, a massive campaign to preach to all Kenyans to repent and to forgive has been organized and according to the Prophet, the campaign seems to be bearing fruit. In an interview with the BBC Swahili program, the man of God clarified that the campaign seemed to be productive because many people are surrendering weapons that they had bought and kept in their houses in preparation for a disaster during the 2012 presidential elections. “People had bought and had kept in their houses a lot of destructive weapons ranging from machetes to guns but when they listened to God’s message they brought all of them and surrendered them”, the prophet said. A close analysis of Kenya government’s decision to call upon religious intervention has shown that the Kibaki and Odinga government’s inefficiency and disorganization. Actually it is very mind-boggling that a whole government, with Kenya’s best brains in it, has failed to agree on the way forward in as far as establishing a system to handle cases against people that arranged and organized the violence that the country is still recovering from. This inability to get a solution casts doubt the credibility of this government. For a Pan African-ists, both the Orange Democratic Party and the People’s National Union ofRaila Odinga and Mwai Kibaki are an embarrassment. Although Christians around the world may welcome the idea of having a repentant nation, as the only way through which genuine love and reconciliation can be realized, the interpretation of political analysts are different. Many political analysts would agree with the opinion that the decision taken by the Kenya government to use a man of God to reconcile the divided population was not done in good faith but as a way of evading and saving their friends from the wrath of justice. However it is also very important to recognize that God’s divine power cannot be undermined in bringing back unity among the divided; therefore if the Kenya government has a similar view in inviting Prophet Owo to do the work, it is a wonderful idea but they shouldn’t use it to cover the sins of wrong people for God loves leaders that rule with truthfulness and love. Justice must prevail; otherwise the world and the International Criminal Court will closely watch the events in Kenya as they unfold and take appropriate action. phatari@yahoo.co.uk