Nowhere in the world is there a united effort to demonstrate what a mature nature of peaceful co-existence can be than in the Republic of Kenya. In the history of Kenya, there has never been a religious war. The two major religions in Kenya, Christianity and Islam, have pursued their spiritual mission without resulting in name calling, cultural segregation, or what is known in many other countries as religious wars.
Not only have Christians advanced the Mathew 28:19 call by Christ to make men His disciples, they have done that within the boundaries of Kenya without fear of being rejected by the Muslim community. For example, a man by the name of Onesimus Mativo was an ordained minister working with the Africa Inland Church (AIC) as a missionary to Northern Kenya. Rev. Mativo was able to plant churches in Northern Kenya, a place dominated by Kenyan Muslims. Because of the effort of Rev. Mativo and other AIC missionaries, Northern Kenya has many AIC churches. This is not to say that there were not people who happened to be Muslims who tried to frustrate their efforts. But those who opposed them did not do it in the name of Islam.
It is important to note that in many Arab countries, Christianity is marginalized and the state has laws against Muslims converting to Christianity. In many Muslim countries, Christians are persecuted and the building of churches is prohibited. In China, which is an anti-religious, humanistic Communist country, Christianity is not encouraged but discouraged. It is for this reason that we Africans in Sub-Saharan Africa should question the relationship between China and our governments. It is clear, for example, that since President Uhuru Kenyatta began dealings with China, his rhetoric against the Kenyan churches became more pronounced and his attitude towards the influence of Christian churches and pastors become increasingly negative, especially because DP Ruto enjoys the support of many in the Christian community.
Kenya needs to be credited for its historical demonstration of maturity when it comes to the issue of religion. As a theologian I am committed unreservedly to the proclamation of Christ as the Good News to the world. I am uncompromising in finding the Bible to be authentic and have concluded through years of study that it is indeed credible as the legitimate voice of God, the creator of heaven and earth. I have also expressed and continue to express my opinions regarding the role of Christian faith in politics and governance, having Yesu Kristo and His revealed word as the foundation of my belief that Christian belief is necessary for a peaceful and successful country. Muslims in Kenya have also used their religious freedom to promote their faith. Kenya is truly a land where religious freedom is guaranteed.
This position is not absent of my historical observation that the reason Kenya has remained conservative (meaning Kenya embraces a philosophy of morality and historical cultural ethic) within its laws and policies is because of the peaceful nature of its Christian and Muslim citizens. The Kenya Islamic theology stands
withdrawn from Middle Eastern militant jihad, signified by radical Islamic terrorist groups such as al-Shabaab, who at times attacked Kenyan citizens near Somalia’s border with Kenya and in Nairobi. Kenya’s Islamic tradition is more religious (spiritual) than political. Because of the nature of Kenya’s Muslim community, historical Church leaders both in the Catholic and Protestant churches in Kenya were able to work with the Islamic community to promote a cultural philosophy of rejecting the modern Western paganistic theory that seeks to destroy the natural state of human existence. (This paganism includes issues of gay and lesbians, the killing of children through abortion and the current push of erasing gender categories.)
It is this maturity that gives me hope about the future of Kenya’s moral foundation. To see Aden Duale and William Ruto working together to form the next government is encouraging. Though I am not allowed to take sides, I believe it is important to mention that Aden Duale represents the conservative Islam that recognizes the need to protect Kenya’s moral theory.
This does not negate the fact that Duale’s intention is to represent the Muslim community. He recognizes that some Kenyan leaders have no religious moral principles. Some embrace Rastafarianism as demonstrated during Kenya’s Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) referendum. There is no evidence that Kenya’s Christians and Muslims can trust these leaders to fight for the moral principles against the onslaught that is in the works from the United Nations, the European Union, and the Biden Administration, against Kenya’s cultural and moral principles.
This emerging partnership between the Muslim political wing of Duale and the Christian conservative wing of DP William Ruto is important if Kenya is going to protect itself against the neo-paganistic thesis that many of Western supporters in Kenya are planning to introduce into Kenyan culture.
Teddy Njoroge Kamau (PhD)
HTBluff Associates
Diaspora Messenger Senior Columnist
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