Reverend Canon Peter Karanja’s Remarks During KARA Bi-Monthly Talks on Cohesion and Integration

HIGHLIGHTS

1. A.     Preamble:

• Greetings to the participants
• Recognize KARA’s contribution to national issues.
• Commend KARA for the ongoing Bi-Monthly Talk Series forums on current and topical subjects.
• Appreciate the invitation to speak on the subject of National Cohesion and Integration- The Gains, Challenges and Prospects
• Acknowledge that the subject is important and timely given the prevailing situation in the country.

1. B.     Setting The Stage:  

A close examination of the state of national cohesion and integration in Kenya reveals multiple outcomes depending on who is looking at it and the lenses they are wearing. This is borne out of our stark national realities and contradictions:

We have 42 official tribes in Kenya and numerous sub-tribes. We also have other people/groups of different numerical strengths but sometimes influences that are pretty disproportionate to their numbers. These ethnic are mostly ethnocentric in their outlook, and are held together by stereotypes which are held deeply and which create strong feelings of “us” vs them.

Kenyan ethnic groups have a way of explaining away their poverty, under-development, unemployment, poor government service delivery on the basis of things done to them or against them by either other tribes or government. Sometimes, the rationalization has a bearing on truth, often it is more a reflection of intra-ethnic perceptions and most often it is rubbed in by their politicians and other interest groups.

Since independence, strategies in the political arena, by other politicians have been around consolidating their own ethnic blocks into portent voting machines and creation of coalitions that build alliances along the same lines. Their key objective is pursuit of acquisition of power and patronizing of state resources at the expense of those outside whatever solomonic pronouncements they make.

The Post Election Violence of 2007/2008, the deaths, the destruction of property and scale of displacements of the newly acquired term, IDPs, became a wake- up call to all Kenyans convincing them that if nothing is done, we shall on account of ethnic animosities completely decimate the country.

Up to now every tribe is saintly, has never wronged anyone and they are only sinned against by other tribes and government.

The adoption of the new constitution and onset of devolution has introduced other fissures, other wronged groups and room for so much more conflict and sense of injustices, even before our traditional villains and victims have been dealt with.

They reflect a sense of identity, almost a form of entitlement, that this dichotomizes the indigenous verses perceived immigrants. If unchecked this will advance exclusion of populations that are considered to have origins from outside the specific counties.

• Cases in point
  • Migori, between Luos and Kurias
  • Lamu between Bajunis/Swahilis and the upcountry ‘immigrants.’
  • Mandera between Garre and Degodia clans
  • Isiolo between the locals and the ‘immigrants’.
  • Marsabit between the Borans and the Gabras.

I am sure participants are aware of current tensions and in some cases open conflict in these counties.

• This goes against the spirit of the constitution on the right of Kenyans to inhabit and own property anywhere in Kenya.

The above remarks would make the situation seem very grim and raises a challenge for those who seek to intervene to understand the real issues adequately if there will be any hope of genuinely transformative intervention.

1. C.     Gains in Cohesion and Integration endevours

The national accord of February 2008 was the greatest milestone in both acknowledging the tragedy that was the divisions within Kenya and the imperative for us to find:-

i           A temporary inclusive political accommodation to bring everyone in and share the so called national cake for the sake of peace.

ii         The creation of the TJRC with the task of providing space for us as a nation to look at our past, our pains, our historical injustices in the eye, speak them out with a view to having an accurate record, processing the ramifications and recommending interventions to help us bring that chapter to a closure and open a new page as a nation.

iii        The pursuit of the Koffi Anan dialogue team’s Agenda IV to address various

• Constitutional Reforms
• Land Reforms
• Institutional Reforms.
• Poverty, inequality and regional imbalance
• Addressing unemployment especially among the youth
• Consolidating National Cohesion and Integration
• Enhancing transparency, accountability and dealing with impunity.

The creation of the NCIC to engage a programmatic strategy of building bridges between disagreeing communities and monitoring to prevent political and community leaders from pursuing disruptive and divisive political plans.

Other concrete gains include:-

• The enactment and promulgation of the New constitution reforming of national institutions.
• Enactment and implementation of laws necessary laws to help implement the constitution.
• National Cohesion and Integration Commission policy documents
• Constitutional recognition of international treaties and conventions
• The creation of the Joint Parliamentary Committee of the National Assembly and Senate on National Cohesion and Equal Opportunity (Sakaja -Led Committee)
• Vision 2030 blueprint which seeks to guide national development in the context of a genuine socio-economic, cultural and political transformation.

Outstanding Tasks

• Translation of the policy positions from theory to practice and lifestyle.

i           Dissemination of the policies and laws.

ii         Civic empowerment of the general citizenry

• Re-orientation of the political class and opinion leaders and shapers to view cohesion and integration as fundamental national priorities.
• Engagement of the business and commercial actors to embrace cohesion and integration as critical for their long term investment interests and returns.

D. Challenges to National Cohesion and Integration

Inspite of the milestones outlined above, the country is creating new fissures that only complicate the endeavours of achieving national cohesion and integration.

The referendum debate that is raging is the reflection of the anxiety in the political class. The stiffer political competition and increased political stakes in a ‘winner-take-all’ system of government has created greater disillusionment for the loser(s) than the old system of government. The 50% plus one threshold of presidential election increases the numbers of those inside while alienating viciously those outside, thus sharpening rather than reducing the divisions.

The outcome of the debate is likely to lead to a more fragmented country with deeper wounds. Both the Jubilee administration and CORD leading lights are turning the constitution into a tool of division and competition rather than cohesion.

a)       Terrorism and Insecurity

The emerging strategies of terrorism and insecurity have clearly demonstrated the desire of the perpetrators to ride on ethnic animosities and perceived or real historical injustices pitting communities’ against others to rationalize homicide and mayhem.

You sense undercurrents and remote sympathy by sections of our society which feel overwhelmed and marginalized, for the perpetrators of violence and terrorism. They see the acts as helping them get even with those they hate and have no means to destroy. The crackdown by security agents is seen by those so affected as only further aggression against them laying ground for emerging allegations of further injustices.

b)       Rising unemployment and poverty are increasing the desperation of our communities. The perception that the ones in government are taking all the jobs and getting financial benefits notwithstanding the reality that only a handful of people from the rulers’ tribes benefit further undermines national cohesion endeavours.

1. E.      NCCK’s Experience and Strategy-The Pamoja Conference

The NCCK was shocked by the scale and brutality of the 2008 post election violence and the complicity of politicians in the period of the violence. We were equally very concerned how quickly politicians settled down after the signing of the national accord, creating a false impression of reconciliation at the top while the grassroots were seething with anger and bitterness. We were determined that such a situation should never be repeated in Kenya.

And so we activated our national structures to support cohesion and reconciliation efforts especially in the hotspots of the Rift Valley. We focused on the eight dorminant ethnic communities which conflict viciously and spread venom to the other small ethnic groups.

The Pamoja Initiative

Over the last six years, we have carried out what we have dubbed The Pamoja Initiative and achieved various milestones.  Through the initiative, we have provided safe spaces for intra and inter ethnic dialogue forums through which communities are able to clarify their enlightened self interests. The communities are also required to clarify their intra/inter ethnic issues and resolve them by engaging the protagonists thus widening the base of consultations. In a nutshell:

• The Goal of the Initiative is to strengthen cohesion and integration and promote national values among the Kenyan communities.
• At the heart of the Pamoja Initiative is the recognition that our ethnic communities are here to stay, and so mere bitterness and conflict will only maintain heat and not shed light to our issues. We cannot by any means wish away the ethnic communities we don’t like.
• It is also the recognition that there are genuine issues and concerns which their anger and animosity worth sensitive attention both by government and non-state actors.
• We therefore recognize that the way to make Kenya work is:-

i           Let Communities and interest groups clarify and articulate their internal issues that are at the heart of their differences with other communities internally. 

ii         Recognize that like themselves, the others also have issues with them that they too must clarify.

iii        Agree that it is in their self enlightened interest to engage their protagonists on those issues and find a fair, practical and peaceful solution which takes into account the interests of all the parties involved.

• Through this Initiative in February 2013, NCCK took a delegation of 100 elders, youth and women to Rwanda to visit the genocide museums as we persuaded them to pursue peaceful conflict resolution options rather than violence.
• NCCK believes that the Pamoja Initiative contribute immensely to the peaceful electioneering in the Rift Valley and the sobriety emerging within the Luo, Miji Kenya, the Abagusii, Luhya councils’ of elders.
• These efforts culminated in The Pamoja Conference held in June this year at Safari Park Hotel bringing together over 200 delegates from the Councils’ of elders of many ethnic communities.
• We have now entered Phase II of the Initiative that has brought on board more partners. These are:-
  • The Inter Religious Council of Kenya,
  • National Cohesion and Integration Commission,
  • National Steering Committee on Peace Building and Conflict Management,
  • Directorate of National Cohesion and National Values,
  • Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry and
  • The Kenya Private Sector Alliance.
• In Phase II, the intra and inter ethnic dialogue forums are being enhanced and organized at the county level. This is a process that KARA might want to discuss and explore ways of your association’s engagement.

1. F.       Conclusion

• Once again appreciate the opportunity to speak
• Invite questions