Clergy should do more to avert anarchy

Bishop Cornelius Korir of Eldoret Catholic Diocese and other religious leaders from the North Rift region during a press conference at St John’s Cathedral Catholic Church in Eldoret town on August 4, 2017. PHOTO| JARED NYATAYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Religious leaders generally choose the path of neutrality.
  • If religious leaders appear to be neutered by their neutrality then they have neglected their mission to address wrongs and to chart a way forward.
  • The Catholic and Anglican bishops in separate forums this week called for dialogue in addressing the impasse that puts the October 26th ballot in jeopardy.

Nine months of election fever have left Kenya a battered, divided, tired and anxious nation. Uncertainty about the immediate future and the election prospects just add to the tension.  There is a desperate need for inspirational, inclusive, sober and persuasive leadership, but who will provide it? Most folk are looking to religious leaders to provide that sanity and stimulation but are they up to the task and have they delivered to date?

Religious leaders were most vocal in calling for Nasa to take their election petition to the Supreme Court but the same prelates displayed muted enthusiasm for the ruling that annulled the August ballot.

When the Supreme Court was then lambasted as 'wakora' and threatened to be ‘taught a lesson’ by the Executive, little or no support came from the same religious bodies.

Religious leaders generally choose the path of neutrality. They are afraid of being dismissed as partisan so they opt to make statements that will challenge both sides but offend no one.

QUICKLY FORGOTTEN

As a result, their statements don’t impact and are quickly forgotten. Neutrality, however, is certainly a value when used fittingly in dialogue meetings.

But if religious leaders appear to be neutered by their neutrality then they have neglected their mission to address wrongs and to chart a way forward. They end up talking but with nothing to say.

They appear as peace ambassadors but not as leaders who can transcend ethnicity and speak with authority, substance and conviction to the whole nation.

The Catholic and Anglican bishops in separate forums this week called for dialogue in addressing the impasse that puts the October 26th ballot in jeopardy.

Nothing new there but who will facilitate the dialogue, prepare the agenda and timeline and what about the bungled election? In fairness, the Anglican bishops stated empathically that the IEBC must remove those officials responsible for the fiasco.

ADAMANT

If the Catholic Bishops had been as adamant in their recommendations then for sure we would be seeing changes at Anniversary Towers. The Anglicans also were bold enough to reject electoral amendments proposed by Jubilee stating that this would undermine the Constitution.

Confronting wrongs and putting them right is taking sides, the side of right and of truth. There is no way that another election can take place without personnel, structural and organisational changes. The IEBC must stop joking with the safety of the country. This is not to concede ground because of Nasa’s confrontational approach to the impasse but to acknowledge that a fair election is what everyone wants.

Both denominations stated that Nasa must find alternative ways to the streets to voice their discontent. Nasa leadership must also acknowledge their inability to control their protestors and recognise that the police as currently constituted will use excessive force without apology.

The religious leaders have an enormous responsibility and weight on their shoulders. However, that is what goes with the calling and there is no going back once the hand is laid on the plough (Luke (9:62). More courage, inspiration, collaboration and preparedness are needed.  

 Fr Gabriel Dolan is a Catholic priest based in Mombasa. [email protected] @GabrielDolan1