Why the Uhuru Park prayers were misplaced

Wednesday, 13 April 2011 00:06 BY PHILIP ETALE

When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood! Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed... Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. Isaiah1:15-17
 I was dismayed at the manner in which the Uhuru Park homecoming thanksgiving prayer sessionwas was hurriedly turned into a political and Raila bashing rally As a little boy my Sunday school teacher would exhort us to humble ourselves while in the presence of the Lord and do what was good in His eyes. She would also remind us that God sees everything done in His presence and more so, in church.
 The homecoming was not a prayer meeting just because a verse was read from the Holy Bible and prayers were said by a Muslim imam and two Christian clergymen. The real purpose of the meeting became clear when the political leaders presented started speaking.
 Instead of speaking humbly as they were before God and clergy, the politicians turned the forum into a political theatre with name calling and curses all aimed at Raila Odinga.
The prayer meeting at Uhuru Park was more of a campaign rally that a place to worship God. Insults and swearing filled the air before cameras and the public. I was flabbergasted by the statements made by these leaders who were merrily singing the Kenya National Anthem — in itself a prayer— at the Hague and yet were the same spewing selective truths at the Uhuru Park 'prayer session.'
Our leaders should borrow a leaf from Russian writer Leo Tolstoy who said “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." They should change their way of doing things. There is a time for prayer— a solemn occasion with your Creator—and there is a time to play politics which is what they are paid to do.
Politicians should not mock God and the clergy should not use the pulpit to spearhead hate and animosity as they did at Uhuru Park. If the meeting was really meant to be a prayer rally that would lead to national healing, I would have expected representation from all the mainstream Churches, the chief kadhi, the Hindu and Sikh religious leaders as well.
 It's time Kenya took its place in the league of Tanzania, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa where politics is only vivacious during an election year.

Philip Etale is the director of Communications - ODM