Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Nairobi (Agenzia Fides) - Appreciation for the agreement reached between the majority and opposition leaders, and an invitation to those in positions of responsibility to attend to the hundreds of thousands of refugees caused by recent violence, were among the issues addressed by the Justice and Peace Commission of the Episcopal Conference of Kenya, in their March 3rd statement published by the Catholic Agency CISA in Nairobi.
The message recognizes with appreciation all those who contributed to the arrival of an agreement between President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga, and ask that they proceed with speed in placing the terms of the agreement into effect. “Parliamentarians should move with speed to effect the necessary constitutional amendments. It is imperative on all Members of Parliament to work together to ensure that the deal is entrenched in the Constitution, and that the two principal leaders get the necessary support to actualize the agreement,” the leaders of the Commission said, recalling that the creation of the role of Prime Minister, one of the main points in the agreement, implies an amendment to the Constitution (see Fides 28/2/2008).
The crisis has left the country severely wounded: over a thousand dead, over 300,000 refugees inside the country’s borders. The Commission has made an appeal to the two leaders, asking them “to mobilize the political good will of their MPs and supporters from the grass root to the national levels to work together to bring about Truth, Justice, Peace and Reconciliation. We encourage all our religious leaders and people of good will at all levels to unite in bringing about healing, justice, truth and peace by preaching peace and ensuring that justice is done through active non-violent means.”
On March 6, Kenyan Parliament meets to place underway the legislative process in changing the Constitution. With this goal in mind, a commission has been formed by representatives of the two parties (of Odinga and Kibaki).
There is also an urgent need to place the agreement into effect, due to the local press that insists that in addition to the complex situation of the refugees, there is also a need to face, as soon as possible, the distribution of lands issue, which has been one of the root causes for discontent among those who supported the violence.
On an economic level, the abandonment of crops in the Rift Valley, from the mass exodus of farmers, has caused food shortage and a steep rise in prices. Many farmers were forced to leave their lands shortly before harvest time. An entire cereal factory was ruined because of it. The farmers who had invested in the fertilizer business are now without economic resources and are asking for State intervention. However, in the weak government established by Kibaki, there is no Minister of Agriculture, and consequently, neither is there any institutional figure responsible for taking care of the problem. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 6/3/2008 righe 37, parole 478)
