Is forgiveness and amnesty a panacea to Kenya’s post-conflict crisis?

Abstract

For a long period, Kenya was rightfully branded “Island of Peace” in the tumultant Eastern Africa Region. After the
December, 2007 General Elections, the country plunged into civil war and rebellion especially in the region west of the
great rift valley. Provinces located in the region: Rift Valley, Nyanza and Western witnessed: murder, looting, eviction,
rape, arson, burning of food and food stores, destruction of homes, animals and crops, emotional harassment and
other kinds of human abuse. Most survivors ended up in concentration camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
. Effects of what happened between December 2007 and February 2008 were felt not only in the whole of Kenya but the
entire Eastern Africa Region and beyond. At the intervention of the United Nations Organization through their
previous and current secretaries, Dr. Kofi Anan and Dr. Ban Ki Moon respectively, a peace accord between the warring
camps: Party of National Unity (PNU) and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) was signed. Although many IDPs have
been resettled, the talk of the day in Kenya is Forgiveness for peace building to enhance acceptance. Forgiveness is
most associated with religious faiths. Within the secular realm, the term amnesty obtains. Regardless of whether we
opt for forgiveness or amnesty, various challenges are anticipated. This paper attempts to provide an understanding
of the post-election violence in Kenya with a view to find ways to contribute to the peace building challenge. The
paper is divided into seven parts. The first part deals with the concept of peace followed in the second part by an
elucidation of some peace theories. Importantly, each theory provides a basis upon which critical reflection and
observation regarding the post-election violence in Kenya are made. The third portion of the paper deals with some
vivid causes of the violence. This diagnosis is logically followed by the fourth part which addresses the role of the
church in enhancing forgiveness and neighbourly love as a panacea for peace. In the fifth section, a discussion on the
amnesty dilemma is undertaken followed by the sixth section containing conclusions to the discussions. The seventh
section contains suggestions on the way forward. It is recommended that the grand-coalition government should
encourage forgiveness and reconciliation among all Kenyans in order to attain lasting peace.