SENTINEL WATCH May 5, 2008 Issue

PRAYING WITH KENYANS FOR PEACE

BOB PRESS

ONLY A FRACTION of Kenyans have engaged in the violence surrounding the disputed presidential election last December. Nevertheless, hundreds were killed, some 300,000 displaced, and many homes and shops destroyed. While much healing has taken place, tensions remain.

An agreement to share power holds hope for peace. But current reports suggest that the agreement may be unraveling as President Mwai Kibaki, widely accused of rigging his reelection, and his opponent, Raila Odinga, have yet to settle on terms. But rather than giving in to discouragement, we can stand firm and redouble our prayers for peace.

My wife, Betty, and I were on vacation in Kenya when the violence broke out in late December, and we stayed there two more weeks. Part of the time, we were in the Muslim coastal town of Lamu, which remained peaceful. There, a Swahili-speaking resident told me, Muslims were praying in the mosques for peace. I asked permission to join in prayer in a small local mosque and was welcomed as a Christian.