Clergy differ on stand towards elections

Clergy differ on stand towards elections

By EMEKA-MAYAKA GEKARA gmayaka@ke.nationmedia.com  ( email the author)

Posted  Sunday, February 3  2013 at  00:30

In Summary

• Wabukala, Karanja silent as other clergy take definite stand on eligibility of some candidates

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Top Christian leaders are split over the March 4 General Election with a number of them opting to remain indifferent. The clergy are struggling to regain face after their 2010 campaign against the then proposed constitution which has now been credited with reforms in the public sector and expansion of the Bill Rights, and is billed as one of the most progressive in the world.

In the past decade, the church has steadily lost its moral voice and credibility as champions of good governance, a position largely attributed to the tribal nature of the national politics.

But John Cardinal Njue, the chief Catholic cleric in the country, on Saturday defended the Church, saying it had taken clear positions on the next election.

“We have said that Kenyans should vote peacefully and ensure that they chose leaders of integrity committed to implement the new Constitution,” he said in an interview with Sunday Nation. “We want leaders who will lead the country towards unity and prevent conflict,” said the cardinal.

This is a dramatic change of heart given that the clergy were at the forefront campaigning for rejection of the Constitution. “We have not stood on the fence. We have made our voice heard.” Top clergymen who have been sketchy over the polls include Anglican Church of Kenya Archbishop Eliud Wabukala and Canon Peter Karanja, the National Council of Churches general-secretary.

Cannon Karanja promised to talk to Sunday Nation on the matter but could not take calls in subsequent attempts.

On March 4, Kenyans go to the polls to choose their next president in what opinion polls show to be a tight race between Prime Minister Raila Odinga of Coalition for Reform and Democracy (Cord) and the Jubilee Coalition’s Uhuru Kenyatta. Mr Kenyatta’s running mate William Ruto and Cannon Karanja were the chief campaigners against the Constitution.

The Kenya Episcopal Conference which brings together all Catholic bishops, has in a statement advised the electoral team to ensure the integrity of elections and warned Kenyans not to vote in leaders “who are seen to be power hungry”.

“It is clear in our mind that for the full implementation of the Constitution, we require a new mind-set, which puts the people first. A new spirit of honesty and integrity, law and order, which puts the people’s interests first,” the bishops said.

However, there is division among churchmen over the candidature of the Jubilee leaders who are set to stand trial in April for crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Father Ambrose Kimutai of Segemik Catholic Parish in Kericho and Anglican Bishop of Mumias Beneah Salala hold strongly the view that the two should not have stood for election.

Fr Kimutai accuses church leaders of ignoring sensitive issues at stake in the election and siding with tribal chiefs. “The church has gone quiet because it has been eaten up by the tribe. Clergymen are serving their tribal gods. Church leaders have been compromised and their credibility has been eroded,” said the cleric.

“There are unanswered moral questions about the Uhuru-Ruto candidature. The church should not support such candidates,” he added, saying Mr Ruto should also explain his commitment to implement a Constitution he campaigned against.

However, Bishop Abraham Gitu of the Apostolic Faith Church, and who has been spearheading peace efforts in the Rift Valley, came to the defence of the Jubilee leaders, saying it is only the court that can determine their guilt.

The bishop is the co-ordinator of the Likia and Beyond Peace and Conflict Resolution Council based in Nakuru. “The Bible says that we should not judge. Kenyans should not assign themselves the role of the ICC,” says Bishop Gitu.

He also defended Christian leaders against accusations that they had taken sides with tribesmen in the presidential race.

“Church leaders have their own conscience. We are entitled to vote for whoever we want,” he said and asked Christians to “mark and avoid” those preaching hatred and bury the culture of tribalism.

The bishop pointed out that Kenyans have a right to reside in every part of the country.But Bishop Salala challenged the clergy to get out of their silence and speak out on the “moral question” raised by the Uhuru-Ruto ticket and possible consequences to the country if they win the presidency.

He accused the clergy of running away from the truth and hiding in tribal enclaves, noting that it appeared that Kenya was going to the election with the mindset of the old Constitution.