Four months after the post-election violence, many burned-out shops and neighbouroods in Kenya remain untouched KIJABE, Kenya - The situation here is sad.

It seems the at grassroots level, people are reluctant to begin the reconciliation process whilst the politicians have not resolved things at the Parliamentary level.

Trucks packed high with belongings:
a common sight in Kenya where
600,000 people remain displaced

There has been a hiatus in Kenya for the last few weeks; the nation is holding its breath waiting for President Kibaki and Prime Minister Odinga to work out the nuts and bolts of the political agreement brokered by Kofi Annan.

This week violence returned to Kibera, Nairobi's biggest slum. The main issue is an unequal distribution of cabinet portfolios between the two parties: Kibaki’s PNU and Odinga’s ODM. Kibaki's solution—creating five new ministerial posts—has been criticised by Odinga and the ODM who say the country cannot afford to dole out more government positions.  

We still hear reports of the killings going on in different parts of the country which are not reported in state-controlled news. There are some encouragements, but on the whole the church has no voice in all of this. It is so disappointing.

Here at Kijabe many of the Luo men (Kijabe is mostly Kikuyu) have returned but the children and their mothers have stayed in the tribal areas. We know several families who were going to bring their families back to Kijabe for a week but yesterday’s violence in Nairobi has meant they have now cancelled. So sad!

We have been careful to support (and be seen to support) the various tribal groups equally. Steve and  Mary Njenga (she was a clinical instructor at the nursing school, he directed the hospital chaplaincy) have been organising food distribution through their church on the far side of Naivasha where many of the displaced fled their homes and are now staying with relatives. It has been a peaceful place but the influx of displaced people has been a burden on the population; the the only water sources are rain and steam vents from the underlying volcanic activity.

"...And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation" We have given books on Biblical approaches to reconciliation ministries to several pastors and elders we know. It is a great opportunity to encourage the pastors to think through this seriously rather than simply polarising to their own tribal affiliation (as some of the national church leaders have done). Some of our conversations have been positive, others depressing but we hope that they will read, seeds will be sown and that the Spirit will work in peoples’ hearts! We now have a fresh perspective on II Corinthians 5:18-19 :

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation .

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