Just before the 2007 elections, Peace Agents were on the sprawl with several appeals for peace and a peaceful election. Chagua Amani Zuia Noma was launched in September 2007 and the Religious leaders came up with a Peace Charter that binded Presidential candidates to Peace and peaceful conducts.
Then we went for elections and the aftermath was the kind of bloodshed and destruction the kind that we have never seen in Kenya before. As many as 1333 Kenyans were killed in the process, and property of unknown value got destroyed. A many as 350 000 Kenyans were rendered homeless and or displaced as well.
Two years on, the process of National Healing, Peace and Reconciliation is still wanting. We are still showing tendencies that reflect that we learned nothing as a result of the Post Election Violence.
What went wrong? Did the Peace Agents get it so wrong that we could not rally the country to maintain peace immediately the results were announced? Did we have to kill each other so such mercilessly, destroy our property with complete abandon and create a massive wave of Internally Displaced Persons as such?
These are some of the challenges that we must start facing as a country and as Peace Builders. And as we do this, pertinent questions are arising; as Peace Agents, should we disclose our political orientation and leanings?
I want to invite debate on this. And I will start by declaring that Peace Builders ought to be as clear as possible about themselves. We must not lie to the public about our preferences. In the Developed World, people are so clear about their political affiliations, and this does not affect their day to day engagements, nor does it create conlict.
In the USA, we have known Republicans and known Democrats, and this does not create conflict. The same applies to the UK. Political affiliation does not create conflict. Then, how come that I would want to pretend with my political affiliation in Kenya on account of being a Peace Builder?
This is the lie we lived prior to the Elections of 2007 and if we move on like this, we shall achieve very little peace or no peace at all. We will have more conflicts after each and every elections, and the 2012 one can be very messy. Already, we have reports of people arming themselves in advance. We also have cases of arms being stolen from government armoury. Remember the Narok incidence?
At KCDN, we have been encouraging our Friends, Willing Partners and those whom we work with to be as open as possible about their political preferences. This has worked very harmoniously for us and every time we have a team event, people come out and we work together as a team.
We are seeing people becoming more tolerant in as far as political differences are concerned and we like it. It is making us to encourage as many people as possible to start being very clear about their political leanings in a process that makes this usual. We then start looking at each other as brothers and sisters sharing the same resources but having different political preferences when elections are called. And this must not lead to conflict.
But when Peace Builders become pretenders, we are building our house on quick sand. I do not see it a problem being a KANU sympathizer. Just like I do not have a problem with any ODM, PNU, ODM-K or KADDU member. Being in a given political party is their democratic choice and that must not lead to conflict, or it must not make me pretend otherwise. And it needs many of us to shout this out.
As a country, we are at cross roads, and I bet we must be bold enough to face reality in order to save Kenya.
We are continuing with the KCDN Peace Caravan 2010 and on 8th and 9th May 2010, we will be in Dandora with the PEV Photo Exhibition and Dialogue. We want to invite all Peace Agents to come forward and help move this process forward by being proactive players and supporters.
Time for pretence is gone. Time for workshops is gone. It is time for action and at KCDN, we believe in action. We believe in reaching the man in the street and the woman at the next corner. Let us join hands and move this process forward and convert as many Peace Agents across Kenya as possible. Let us not discuss issues of Peace, National Healing and Reconcilaition in Boardrooms and Workshops. Let us engage people out there.
It makes very little sense to preach to the converted. People who attend workshops are people well known to each other and they have little to learn from each other. The people who need more information are out there and we must reach out to them and engage them. If we spend the kind of money donors spend in Hotels and Workshops directly on the people, we will reach those amongst us who missed super the previous night and had no hope and plans for breakfast. They will have tea with mandazis and they will listen to us and our message.
The money we spend on an individual in an Hotel or in a Workshop can buy tea to 200 people in the street.
We are looking forward to your support and partnership as we address this emotive issue of Peace, National Healing and Reconciliation during the KCDN Peace Caravan 2010. Let us join hand s as one.
If you are touched and you want to support the KCDN Peace Caravan 2010, please reach out to me.
Peace and blessings,
Odhiambo T Oketch,
CEO KCDN Nairobi,
Tel; 0724 365 557, 0735 529 126,
http://kcdnkomarock swatch.blogspot. com
http://nairobieastb a.blogspot. com
mailto:friendsofkcd n@yahoogroups. com
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