Time to put our house in order

• The conference to be held in the US this week discusses whether Kenya has made any progress on the unity front after chaos.

There have been some attempts at preaching peace by a few politicians such as retired President Moi in pockets of Rift Valley- the epicentre of the violence. Insiders say Mr Moi’s efforts mainly targeting the youth are meant to create harmony between communities to prevent similar flare-ups in the count-down to 2012.

However, Mr Moi’s moves are greeted with suspicion by critics and Rift Valley politicians, particularly from ODM, who view them as a way of seeking political relevance.

Not sincere
“Moves such as those are not sincere. He is not a crusader for peace but only helping to disengage the community,” says Mt Elgon MP Fred Kapondi.

According to Mr Kapondi, it is possible for the country to heal “properly” by the next General Election if politicians and religious leaders work together to bring about integration of various communities.

For such efforts to succeed, political leaders and the clergy must speak in tandem while keeping out vested interests.

“Religious leaders should for instance stop calling for fresh elections because this will be counterproductive — it will generate political heat and raise temperatures when the wounds are still festering,” Mr Kapondi notes.

The general assessment is that these thorny issues can only be sorted out through a new Constitution.

As such, says Mr Kapondi, President Kibaki, who will not feature in the next elections, should show political willingness to ensure a new constitutional order and put to an end decades of agitation for the same.

Ms Rugene is the Nation’s Parliamentary Editor nrugene@nation.co.ke