Friday, March 28, 2008 at 2:02am
Mop-up work
Column: Executive Soul
Last week Kenya's Parliament enacted laws establishing a coalition government. The deadlock between President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga was finally broken, through the intervention and sustained efforts of Kofi Annan, with Odinga likely to be named prime minister, a position equal in power to that of president. With the agreement came the promise of an end to the violence that had been convulsing the country since the disputed Dec. 27 election, violence that had claimed over 1,500 lives and resulted in hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people.
While the power-sharing agreement represents a huge step forward, most of the hard work still lies ahead. This week Kibaki and Odinga made plans to visit the Rift Valley together, the scene of much of the violence. Will they be up to the mop-up work that faces them?
Not only does Kenya need healing from the violence, Kenyans also need to find their way from refugee camps back to their homes. In many cases, homes have been destroyed and need to be rebuilt from the ground up. In some cases, refugees are no longer welcome in their home areas. Furthermore, food in storage has been destroyed and the planting season started without crops being sown because of the instability and violence, resulting in a serious food shortage.
While these official government leaders visit areas damaged by the violence, grass-roots leaders form their own impressions. David Zarembka, coordinator of the African Great Lakes Initiative of the Friends Peace Teams, traveled through the country this week and noted:
"As we traveled up-country through areas hard-hit by the violence, we could see the plastic huts of many displaced people still in the camps alongside the road. There was the same destruction of houses, shops and farms as we could see before, but seeing all this again was discouraging since it all seemed so unnecessary."
Other grass-roots leaders question the staying power of the agreement. "I have faith in the agreement, but not in Kibaki's government," said Ezekiel Isanda (as reported by the Associated Press), who works for a non-governmental organization. "Let this agreement serve Kenyans and not their politicians' stomachs."
This is an important and vulnerable time in the life of the nation. May the leaders put aside their egos, work together to serve the needs of the country, and put the country's resources to work on behalf of those who need them most. How Kibaki and Odinga lead at this moment in history will set the stage in the country for many years to come.
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Margaret Benefiel, Ph.D., author of "Soul at Work: Spiritual Leadership in Organizations," works with leaders in business, healthcare, churches, government and non-profits to help them develop spiritual leadership. Visit her website at www.ExecutiveSoul.com. © Copyright 2008 by Margaret Benefiel.
While the power-sharing agreement represents a huge step forward, most of the hard work still lies ahead. This week Kibaki and Odinga made plans to visit the Rift Valley together, the scene of much of the violence. Will they be up to the mop-up work that faces them?
Not only does Kenya need healing from the violence, Kenyans also need to find their way from refugee camps back to their homes. In many cases, homes have been destroyed and need to be rebuilt from the ground up. In some cases, refugees are no longer welcome in their home areas. Furthermore, food in storage has been destroyed and the planting season started without crops being sown because of the instability and violence, resulting in a serious food shortage.
While these official government leaders visit areas damaged by the violence, grass-roots leaders form their own impressions. David Zarembka, coordinator of the African Great Lakes Initiative of the Friends Peace Teams, traveled through the country this week and noted:
"As we traveled up-country through areas hard-hit by the violence, we could see the plastic huts of many displaced people still in the camps alongside the road. There was the same destruction of houses, shops and farms as we could see before, but seeing all this again was discouraging since it all seemed so unnecessary."
Other grass-roots leaders question the staying power of the agreement. "I have faith in the agreement, but not in Kibaki's government," said Ezekiel Isanda (as reported by the Associated Press), who works for a non-governmental organization. "Let this agreement serve Kenyans and not their politicians' stomachs."
This is an important and vulnerable time in the life of the nation. May the leaders put aside their egos, work together to serve the needs of the country, and put the country's resources to work on behalf of those who need them most. How Kibaki and Odinga lead at this moment in history will set the stage in the country for many years to come.
— — —
Margaret Benefiel, Ph.D., author of "Soul at Work: Spiritual Leadership in Organizations," works with leaders in business, healthcare, churches, government and non-profits to help them develop spiritual leadership. Visit her website at www.ExecutiveSoul.com. © Copyright 2008 by Margaret Benefiel.