Kenya (MNN) — On August 9, Kenya will hold general elections. It could be the most consequential political event in Africa in 2022.
But it comes with a lot of internal conflicts. Greg Kelley with World Mission says, “There’s a lot of anxiety right now within Kenya. I just got back [from a visit]. The two main competing people groups are the Luo and the Kikuyu.”
These groups have a history of animosity towards each other, Kelley says “This year, the two main candidates, representing the majority people groups, are stoking those fires.”
Past unrest
During Kenya’s 2013 election, unrest and violence rocked the country. Kelley says, “Let’s not forget over a thousand people lost their lives in one of the strongest, most stable democracies in the entire continent of Africa.”
A similar story played out during the 2007 election when violence between ethnic groups killed over one thousand people and displaced 650,000.
Pray the elections will proceed smoothly and without violence.
Pray for unity
Jesus prayed for unity among His followers. Ask Him to unite people across Kenya, especially Christians.
In the northern parts of the country, where ethnic conflict is common, World Mission works with isolated villages.
In one village, they drilled a well to tackle a water shortage. Kelley says, “The village has neighbors that are a melting pot of people groups. We saw an amazing church service that lasted about four hours. We saw 50 people give their lives to Jesus from many different ethnic groups. They were all together.”
“It’s those kinds of efforts, I think, that we need to be strategic about in the body of Christ.”
Praise God for these fifty people. Ask the Holy Spirit to work powerfully across Kenya.
Header photo courtesy of World Mission.
