Politics and the Shedding of Blood
So it is election season in Kenya right now. Politics is a very interesting (and sometimes entertaining) thing in the Third World. While Kenya is leaps and bounds ahead of some of its neighbors, it can’t shake the fact that politics is often about power. In a land where so many have next to nothing, perhaps the leaders can’t be faulted for exploiting their positions for their own personal gain. In fact, the former President is reported to have shaved off the top more than $2billion just for himself. So it’s no wonder that candidates fight hard to win seats in the government, it’s a move that will financially pay off at the expense of the rest of the Kenyan tax-payers.
Things are beginning to gear up for the December elections. Was does that mean? That means each day the newspapers will report the goings-on of high profile candidates. It means there will be rallies held across the country for political gain. It means the University students in Nairobi will undoubtedly protest something about the government. And unfortunately, it means people will die in the election process.
It was said to me once, “There can be no election in Kenya, without the shedding of blood.” It may sound cynical, but history proves it is true. People will die in the next few months. Some will be shot by trigger-happy police. Some will die at the hands of political henchmen trying to make a statement. Some will just be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Whatever the case, get ready for a few months of bloodshed.
It’s sad that in a supposedly Christian nation, violence is the easiest way for people to get things done. Didn’t Christ die to reconcile us to God? Isn’t He the Prince of Peace? Isn’t there a better way to walk as a nation? The fault lies not with our Savior, but with us. Kenya is Christian-ized, but far from Christian. There is a form of godliness, but a denial thereof. In other words, there a lot of church-goers, but a whole lot of them are unregenerate – they’re not born-again. The answer for Kenya is not more aid from the West, nor more sanctions on corrupt powers. The answer for Kenya, like the rest of the world, is Jesus Christ. Without the transforming power of the Gospel in individuals’ lives, you will see no change in the greater sea of humanity. The prayer for Kenya, and Africa, is that the Holy Spirit will come in power and convict people in terms of sin and righteousness, and regenerate them into new creatures ready to do God’s will. That’s my prayer, I hope it’s yours too.
