Religious heads must be vigilant to avoid being in secular mix
What you need to know:
- Thankfully by the time we were putting an end to the Kanu one-party rule, it had become acceptable that religious leaders are key stake holders in discussions about how the state is run.
- They ought to be consistently vigilant so that they do not always seem to be reacting to agenda that is set by others.
There was a time many years ago in this country when the roles of religious leaders were totally separate from those of political actors.
During those days, it was inconceivable that people in religious leadership would as much comment on political matters.
They were understood to belong to a different realm in society and the odd one who dared do that which was seen as intruding in matters that did not concern them.
The first victims of such perception were men like Bishop Okullu of Maseno - who was a pioneer in matters of religious involvement in secular issues.
During the debate on the Education Act of 1968, Archbishop John Njenga – then education Secretary for the Catholic Church – had big arguments with the Minister for Education and President Kenyatta had to intervene.
By the time, what is now popularly referred to as “the second liberation”, the maturity of our nation was quickly forced to arrive - by default - to a point where it had become acceptable – in the more liberal circles - that religious communities and their leaders have a stake in matters of running the state.
This was largely due to the open-minded types of the likes of Okullu, Ndingi, John Njenga, Cardinal Maurice Otunga and so on.
Thankfully by the time we were putting an end to the Kanu one-party rule, it had become acceptable that religious leaders are key stake holders in discussions about how the state is run.
The famous “Mfungamano initiative” of the 1990s did play a big role in helping to construct this mind-set.
The popular understanding of “Civil society” in this country is always about the NGOs and those men and women who go out into the streets and protest about one thing or the other.
I would want someone to tell me where religious leaders’ involvement in social, economic or even political commentary is not “civil society” activity.
After all, these men and women are not in mainstream government and political operation but that could be a discussion for another day.
The point I wish to make this time is that it is very refreshing to see our religious leaders coming out to take part in the ongoing debate on the exit of the IEBC and sometimes about reforms on our electoral laws.
What religious organisations need to do in my view is to be a little more proactive.
They ought to be consistently vigilant so that they do not always seem to be reacting to agenda that is set by others.
Could they not have think tanks that continually analyse social, economic, cultural and political events so that they can also set the agenda themselves?
The writer is Dean of Students, University of Nairobi: [email protected]