Ethnicity: The Curse of Modern Day Kenya and a Challenge to Christian Mission

1. Ethnicity: The Curse of Modern Day Kenya and a Challenge to Christian Mission Prof. Joseph Galgalo, A Paper Presented at the Shahidi forum – October 29th, 2016

2. Revelation 7:9-10 ESV – “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

3. Broad Theme: “Ethnicity and the Challenge of National Cohesion and Governance: Socio-historical, Political and Theological Perspectives, and the Christian Mandate”

4. The following three thematic areas recommended to be emphasized: • The Theology of Ethnicity and Ethnic Relations • The Culture and History of Kenya's Ethnicity Problem • The Politics of Ethnicity and Challenges to Governance

5. A Chosen focus: Ethnicity: The Curse of Modern Day Kenya and a Challenge to Christian Mission

6. The top three threats to Kenya’s unity • Ethnic conflict (politics of ethnicity and ethnic confrontation) • Corruption (Collapse of public ethical values) • Governance and leadership (weak institutions – impunity – insecurity)

7. Questions to consider • What is ethnicity and race? • Why do various ethnic groups find ‘tribal identities’ as safe spaces, and choose it over and above national identity as their primary identity maker? • What does Kenya need to do to overcome ethnic divisions and build one strong Kenyan nation? • Is it right to promote alternative descriptors and identity markers such as religion to counter the negative impact of ethnicity?

8. What would be a helpful theological take on the subject of ethnicity? • Is ethnicity God’s design for humanity? • Can a theology of ‘cultural blindness’ if balanced with ‘politics of difference’ help construct one, all-inclusive identity marker – that sets each Kenyan apart as a ‘Kenyan’?

9. Some Observations • Kenya is ethnically more divided now than it was at independence. • The dream for national unity and social cohesion was more plausible at independence than today. • Most Kenyan’s share experiences of political domination, economic marginalization or life under the shadow of ethnic tensions, tribal clashes and political thuggery or police brutality. • Heightened ethnic consciousness has created a crisis of confidence in a shared nationhood that can inspire common national values and culture.

10. The political elites have over the years perfected the art of ethnically based political demagoguery • As a result, ethnicity (and not religion or language) are the primary identity markers for majority of Kenyan citizens. • Ethnicity has become a curse of sorts, a challenge to social cohesion and Christian mission. • Ethnicity has become a deadly tool for political hooliganism and demagoguery in the hands of political elites.

11. Ethnicity • The elephant in the room • Ethnicity and race – definitions • Ethnicity – as ‘primary identity marker for most Kenyans.’ -Race is a category based on biological traits (skin colour, hair type, eyes, nose etc.). -Ethnicity emphasizes shared cultural traits, common history, ancestry and sometimes shared religion and language • The Bible does not make racial distinctions but regards humanity as one race with a variety of languages, people groups, tribes, families and nations

12. Ethnic, regional, religious or national differences have become source of untold suffering across the world. • Ethnicity cause – of political exclusion and discrimination, negative profiling and stereotyping, historical biases and justifications for conflicts. • Over a 100 current wars are ethnic based conflict including some of the longest running ones such as the Afghan war, Algerian civil war, Basque separatist’s conflict, Burundi, Burma (Myanmar), Kurdish independent movement, Kashmir and Tripura conflicts in India, Sri Lanka, and Yemeni tribal conflict, among others.

13. The Kenyan context: Our ethnicity – a deadly weapon • Multiplicity of ethnicities challenges the assertion that Kenya is composed of 42 tribes. • Some ethnic communities often categorized as sub-tribes under certain bigger ethnic groups challenge such categorization. • Encyclopedia of the Third World – “There are over 70 distinct ethnic groups in Kenya…” • Kenya, as we know it today, first became part of British Empire (1895) and Kenya colony (1920) • Result of British rule – loss of land, source of cheap labor, ethnic zoning of tribal lands (reserves), commodification of land, modern education, = social disparities, marginalization

14. Marginalization, isolationism, access to opportunities continued after independence. • The TJRC, which was created by the Parliament through the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Act 2008, outlines a number of reasons why most communities do not feel fully part of Kenya • Some of the stated reasons include: human rights violations (particularly by state security agencies); crimes against humanity, historical injustices (especially issues surrounding distribution and ownership of land), and social-economic marginalization; and economic crimes including impact of corruption. • Ethnicity has become primary identity marker, a tool for political demagogues and top threat to Kenyan unity because of historical, socio-economic and political reasons.

15. The situation we find ourselves in: • What are the reasons why Kenyan communities refuse to be subsumed under homogenizing national identity or culture? • Why are Kenyans simply unable to assume one national identity or a religious identity such as Christian identity – as our primary identity? • Pecking order of Christianity and ethnicity (?? – first tribe, and second Christian or vice versa?) • Christianity as majority religion in Kenya (what is the truth?)

16. Major challenges to ‘national unity’ and social integration/cohesion: 1) Historical injustice • Colonial reserve system - in linking physical space to ethnic identity, the Kenyan reserve system assumed that each of these ‘tribes’ had a specific homeland. • The colonial government also acquired large chunks of land through all sorts of means including treatise and forced evictions, or unfovourable policies to Africans that undermined livelihood (e.g. limiting number of livestock, hunting licenses, etc.)

17. After independence some of these injustices were institutionalized e.g. Sessional Paper No.10, 1965, African Socialism and its application to Planning in Kenya, e.g. land ownership a preserve of the economically empowered few (rather than fair redistribution); priority of resource allocation to “areas of great agricultural potential” etc.

18. Result of continued socio-economic disparities and marginalization: - Heightened sense of tribal belonging and mobilizing for ethnic solidarity to find strength in numbers. - Emerging ethnic categorization: ‘us’ and ‘them’ - ‘Ethnicity’ has become an attractive ‘bargaining power for political gain’ and a model of economic empowerment through perceived or real access to the elusive ‘national cake.’ - Potential fragmentation (cp. MRC, 2207/08 PEV), etc.

19. 2) Political/economicdominance of some by others • Political domination by some ‘tribes’ – why it matters: access to national resources, jobs, and opportunities for social and economic progress (e.g. who gets scholarships, promotions, tenders, etc.) • Smaller ‘tribes’ will never get the opportunity to lead the country • Ethnicity and not necessarily merit is ‘what matters’ in elective politics • Question: Why do large number of masses play into the hands of the politicians and believe that their destiny is with each other as a tribe and not with the nation?

20. 3) Marginalization • Article 260 of the Constitution defines marginalized community as “A community that, because of its relatively small population or for any other reason, has been unable to fully participate in the integrated social and economic life of Kenya as a whole.” • Majority of the marginalized groups are small in number, dominated by their more numerous neighbors, often cut off and exists in the remote, hard to reach parts of the country. • These communities lack access to opportunities such as education or good schools, access roads to markets, health care and basic like water and are food insecure.

21. Always under threat of insecurity, at risk of losing their ancestral land, livelihood, culture and identity. Majority of those in this category are mainly the indigenous communities including “but not limited to the Ogiek, Watta, Sengwer, Maasai, Samburu, El Molo, Turkana, Rendile, Gabra and the Endorois” • In the circumstances, the minorities are confused about their role and place in the life of the state. Their continued marginalization and exclusion from the mainstream of Kenyan society and economy is a setback for national unity and social cohesion.

22. 4)Political • Question: Are the fundamentals of our democracy right? ‘Is majority always right?’ • Is political representation really necessary? • Can we find alternative system of governance that guarantees prudent management and fair distribution of resources?

23. Theology, Ethnicity and Ethnic Relations • Bible recognizes one human race - (one ancestor, Adam); and secondly originating from Noah. • Also mentions families, tribes, peoples, and nations, as distinct sub-categories. • Interpreters differ that the Bible attests only to one race. E.g. some see the mark God had put on Cain was a racial identity-marker such as skin color; the Tower of Babel also seen by some as beginning of human races. • But note: story of the ToB is about the origin of languages and geographical dispersion that led to the rise of ethnicities.

24. God created one human race out of which developed ethnic groups as a product of separate culture developments and environmental adaptions • The New Testament envisions a reconstituted new humanity in Jesus Christ, where all who believe in him receives the “right to become children of God – born not of natural descent but born of God” (John.1:12 • The reconstituted new humanity finds its basis in Jesus, the new Adam. This new identity does not replace ‘ethnic identities’ but transcends it and redefines ethnic relationships, where those who share common faith in Christ Jesus become brothers and sisters.

25. The new relationship, as is the old, is a blood relationship. Just as ethnic descent share blood relations, those born by ‘water and the spirit’ (John.3:5) share in common the blood of Christ, which makes all believers one family. • Every Christian is now a blood relative one with the other through the blood of Christ that makes them one family. • Whereas the ‘blood of ethnic animosity’ can be ‘bad blood’ between communities or nations, the blood of Christ is redemptive with the power to reconcile and redefine. • God’s Triune model of being (Father, Son and the Holy Spirit) inspires the embrace of unity in diversity.

26. Whereas ethnicity may be a valid distinction, it does not have to be our primary identity-marker, and least of all, a reason for divisions and conflict. • The ethics of the Kingdom requires embrace of each other by doing the ‘right thing’ and accepting the invitation to join the reconstituted new humanity. • This is the call to all believers – that they become one through the blood of Christ that makes them new family.

27. Envisioning the Kenya we want: Re-imagining Ethnicity • Strengthening national legal and constitutional framework • Education for all • State sponsored programs for social integration • Value based Religious and moral education • A Politically negotiated Social Contract • Industrialization (Development)

28. Conclusion: Christianity in Kenya: A Mission to the nation • Although ethnicity can be very enduring, it still requires a level of maintenance through “reiterated practices and transactions.” (Mark G. Brett, Ethnicity and the Bible, Brill, 1996) • Therefore ethnic identities may change, and the new defining factors such as changing economic securities, social compositions (intermarriage), and religion can be guided to become the new identity markers – to promote cohesion.

29. Christianity should be challenged to take lead in a ‘mission to the nation’ – to define, cultivate and strengthen national values such as unity, justice and peaceful co-existence. • Christianity’s primary mission should be ‘personal transformation’ where believers become effective advocates for transformative leadership and inclusive and sustainable development, positively influencing Kenyans to embrace the vision of one Kenya through meaningful social integration.