Put Aside Your Differences And Let’s Sit Down And Talk, Politicians Advised.

The Moderator P.C.E.A. Thika Presbytery Rev. Simon Murigi Njaga has called on all Kenyans, regardless of their political affiliations, to put aside their differences and sit down as a people to resolve the current impasse that is now threatening to degenerate into full blown ethnic skirmishes.

Speaking on Sunday when he presided over the graduation of 16 members of PCEA Emmanuel Church, Landless who had completed a 2-year diploma course in Theological Education by Extension (TEE), Murigi said that having gone through the tribulations of the 2007-08 Post-Elections Violence (PEV), no one should be allowed to take the country back through that route.

“We want to encourage people to speak with one voice. This country belongs to all of us. As the clergy, we don’t align ourselves to any political divide. But we are calling on the authorities to give everyone a chance to be heard. We want to see Kenyans sit down and reason together just as Isaiah 1:18 says ‘Come, let us reason together’,” said Murigi.

He called on everyone especially the leaders, to be in the forefront in preaching peace. He added that this country was endowed with too much resources that could only be exploited well in an environment of peace and stability.

He said that even though everyone had the right to be heard, all issues had to be deliberated within the precincts the law.

“Our constitution is still at its infancy stage that demands deliberations on how we can make it work to the best interests of everyone and drive us to the goals of Vision 2030,” he said.

He noted that it was wrong for anyone to abuse the freedom of expression and picketing by leading the country to violence and wanton destruction of property.

The Director, TEE PCEA programme Rev. Patrick Muthungu said that the church came up with this initiative as a way of confronting the vices that were bedeviling the society. This is after realising that people were slowly deviating from the norms and engaging in despicable acts that were at times fatal in nature.

He said that they had extended it to the prisons to see how those confined in these correction facilities could benefit from a holistic remedy to their mistakes.

“The church is supposed to guarantee hope to the society. The people who have graduated today will go out there with a mission to transform the society. The enormous challenges that we are witnessing in the world today like alcoholism and drug abuse are signs of a people living in hopelessness, meaning that the church is not doing enough. This is why PCEA is trying to up the game so that we can restore hope to the people,” said Muthungu.

He was happy that unlike 2007 when the church took sides in the political arena, this time the church in the forefront trying to find an amicable solution that would see the warring political factions resolved their differences peacefully.

He however advised the electorate to shun the habit of ‘idol worship’ where they put all their hopes in political leaders.

“My appeal to the electorate, let us not put our hopes in people (politicians) to a point of having personality cults. Lay your hopes in God and pray for both the president and those in the opposition as they come together to deliberate on the future of this country,” he concluded.

Elizabeth Wanja, one of the graduates and who acted as the principal to the class of 2016, said that the course taught them that in the early church, the faithful kept disobeying God just as is the case today, a fact that drove Apostle Paul to write so much about the Christian faith.

They had resolved to tackle pertinent issues that the church evaded to talk about due to their sensitive nature. Topics such as substance abuse, HIV/AIDS and immoral behavior would form the core business in their ministry.

“We will also see how best to work with our youth and children, not only in sensitization but also assisting them to identify those among them who might be victims of some of these problems,” said Wanja.