Politics in Kenya has always been an all round the clock engagement for politicians who are always scheming for their next move on how to win this or that seat or have some leader removed from this or that position. Politicians are now known to be the worst people to entrust with the unity, peace of a country, a county or a constituency as much as they must be there as required by the constitution.
For a very long time politics has been branded as a dirty game hence many professionals, scholars, religious leaders keeping off the murky dirty game that is gaining the dirtiness and murkiness by day. However, it now seems that by keeping off and leaving the country in the hands of pure politicians to run and handle it is like throwing the country to the dogs.
Going by what happened in the country in the previous years especially 2007 and 2008 when the country experienced post-election violence and what happened in subsequent years and also the tension and tempers that are rising now ahead of the 2022 general elections, religious leaders and other non-political players are worried that the country might go back to the dark days of 1992, 1997 and 2007 where tribal clashes rocked the country because of politics and politicians.
An umbrella organization of churches and the clergy in the country is now calling upon religious leaders from all parts of the country to come out and vie for elective positions right from the president to the member of the county assembly – MCA in a move they think will salvage this country from the threat of war and corruption among other vices. Bishop Hudson Ndeda who is the chairman of the Church and Clergy Association of Kenya – CCAK has come out to urge the religious leaders to go for politics without fear so that they can change and transform the country from the current breed of politicians who do not care whether the country burns or not as long as they fulfill their selfish interests.
“We want to encourage Christians to come out and contest right from the President down to MCA. That is what might bring change to this country otherwise these politicians are just the same and have nothing new to offer,” said Ndeda as he addressed journalists alongside other officials in Nairobi.
He cited the ongoing political tension and clashes as the signs that depict what the politicians are concerned about against the peace and unity that the country needs.
“When you see what the politicians are doing through pushing wheelbarrows and dancing to reggae, you can see exactly what they are up to and if we continue leaving the country in their hands then they will take us back to the 2007/2008 scenario where we lost many lives and property worth millions destroyed,” added the chairman.
He went further to caution religious leaders against giving the politicians forums to speak politics in the church whereby many of them use the platform to incite their followers against their opponents. The bishop’s call to fellow Christians to embrace politics for change will be put to test in the 2022 general elections if at all they heed his advice and come out to vie and compete against the typical politicians who use all manner of skills both good and dirty to win the elections.
Very few religious leaders including the then famous preacher Pius Muiru who vied for the presidency in 2007 against the then president Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga but performed dismally.
Others who have thrived include Reverend Mutava Musyimi who served as Member of Parliament for Mbeere South from 2013 to 2017 and current Lurambi MP Bishop Titus Khamala who is serving his first term as member of parliament among a couple of others serving in different levels. Just like women, many religious leaders shun politics and are always reluctant to participate and vie for seats apart from hosting politicians in their churches for financial or infrastructural support.