The 2007 December post-election violence in Naivasha Town and its Effect upon the church.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to discover the factors which led to the failure during the election preparation and consequences of the 2007 post-election violence in Naivasha and how the church was affected. In order to achieve this purpose, research was carried out whereby data was collected through observations, discussions in groups, and face to face structured interviews with twelve participants, two police officers, two IDPs, two pastors, two youths (Mungiki members), two civil servants and two people from different ethnic background that were targeted (Luo, Kalenjin). The findings revealed five categories of causative factors leading to the 2007 December post-election violence in Naivasha. These factors include political, land, revenge, tribalism and poverty issues. The Naivasha post-election violence that erupted in late January 2008 was revengeful though the above other factors played a key role. The research has examined the consequences and what should be put in place in order to avoid the same from happening again. This study has revealed that though the church has been in one way or another blamed for its failure in lack of providing the right information during the 2007 political campaigns; it is the same institution in a strategic position of ensuring true forgiveness and reconciliation. The reconciliation must first begin with the church itself whereby disunity and segmentation among the Christian body must be dealt with first. Based on these findings, the following recommendations are made: the government to put in place an independed ECK, punishment of the perpetrators, putting in place of the civic education, introduction of the poverty eradication schemes, constitution review among others. Recommendations were given that since the Church is not blamed so much among the Naivasha residents, it should take the initiative of rendering timely seminars and workshops on forgiveness and reconciliation to the community.