| THE Archbishop of York, Dr Sentamu, was due to fly out to the troubled country of Kenya last night for a four-day visit, with the encouragement of the Archbishop of Kenya, the Most Revd Benjamin Nzimbi. The trip has two purposes: to be a fact-finding visit, and an expression of solidarity with, and prayer for, the Kenyan people.
The visit was arranged after a long phone conversation with Archbishop Nzimbi, when it was agreed that it would be helpful. Church leaders in Kenya still appear to be at odds about the best way forward in the conflict.
The Bishop of Mbeere, the Rt Revd Gideon Ireri, in eastern Kenya, told Ecumenical News International on Tuesday that he had serious concerns that the Church was not speaking with one voice.
A delegation from the World Council of Churches in Kenya said this week that political leaders in Kenya believed that the Church there had taken a partisan approach, and were not keen that it should be involved in the mediating process.
More than 1000 people are believed to have been killed, and hundreds of thousands have been made homeless, in the riots since the December elections. The Orange Democratic Movement, led by Raila Odinga, disputed President Mwai Kibaki’s claim of a victory, and said that the elections were rigged. The worst trouble has been in the west of Kenya, Mr Odinga’s homeland.
With Archbishop Nzimbi, Dr Sentamu will visit some of the camps that are now home to displaced people. His fact-finding visit will also help to inform Christians in England how they can stand in solidarity with their brothers and sisters, his office said on Wednesday.
Speaking before his visit this week, Dr Sentamu, who fled Uganda as a refugee in the 1970s, said: “I have accepted Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi’s encouragement to visit Kenya. During the troubles in Uganda brought about by the Amin regime, the people of Kenya stood in solidarity with the suffering of Uganda.
“Kenya was a haven for many Ugandans. Kenya was the base for the headquarters of both the East African Court of Appeal and the East African Economic Community. Kenya was the economic lifeline to landlocked Uganda.”
He continued: “It is significant to me that it is at this time that the worldwide Church enters into the time of Lent, when we prepare ourselves to commemorate the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Kenya’s suffering is lived under the shadow of the Cross.”
The former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who is in the country mediating talks between the rival political groups, has called for a truth and reconcilation commission similar to the one that Archbishop Desmond Tutu chaired in South Africa after apartheid was abolished.
Christian Aid has launched an appeal to help those affected by the Kenyan crisis; it has already sent aid to its partner in Nyanza province, one of the first affected areas, and is supporting Action by Churches Together’s Kenya Forum (AKF). A statement from the agency on Friday called on leaders of both parties to end the violence.
World Vision said that work at one of its projects near Kisumu in the West, one of the most troubled areas, had been seriously affected because staff were unable to move freely. But it said this week that the situation was slowly improving, and its work in other areas of the country remained unaffected.
Tearfund said that it was working round the clock with partners in Kenya, including the Diocese of Nakuru (Narok Integrated Development Programme), which has been working in camps set up for people who have fled the violence.
An orphanage run by the Christian charity World Emergency Relief, near Naivasha, the scene of rioting last week, said that it was at full capacity, and increasing numbers of children were being sent to it. The charity said that it was also working closely with refugee camps to identify displaced children who had been orphaned.
The Methodist Church and Methodist Relief and Development Fund announced a Kenya appeal this week. The Methodist Church has already sent funds to a partner working in the Kibera slum district in Nairobi.
Other Christian relief agencies, including the Mission Aviation Fellowship, CORD, and the Episcopal Relief Development Fund are also all working to help those most affected by the troubles.
www.archbishopofyork.org
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