In 2008 Kenyan layman and evangelist Simon Rurinjah, a member of our SCCs Training Team, was invited to the new Parish of Tegeti (that had been divided from Longisa Parish) in Kericho Diocese, Kenya by Father Daniel, the Parish Priest, to be a mediator in a dispute between the Kalenjin and Kikuyu Ethnic Groups. This dispute involved the Kalenjin people burning the houses and stealing the cattle of the Kikuyu people during the January-February, 2008 post-election crisis in Kenya. The Kikuyu fled from the area and then later came back to their homesteads.

In April, 2008 with the elders (both men and women) present there was a week of mediation on the parish and outstation levels of the families of the two ethnic groups concerned that had intermarried over the years. On the last day seven SCCs gathered to participate in a forgiveness and reconciliation ceremony. Prayers were said by each ethnic group. As part of the compensation and restorative justice the Kalenjins rebuilt the houses and returned the cattle as a fine for their original wrongdoing.
Then nine months later in 2009 there was a special Reconciliation Mass with prayers in both the Kalenjin and Kikuyu languages. Everyone participated in a communal meal of reconciliation with both Kalenjin and Kikuyu food served and eaten by the whole community. Everyone agreed that this violence and wrongdoing should never happen again. Until today (September, 2012) the peace continues and the local people are forgetting the past disputes

Author Country :Kenya
True Story
Location :Kericho, Kenya
Year of Publication :2012/ Publication :Building the Church as Family of God: Evaluation of Small Christian Communities in Eastern Africa, CUEA Press
Sub Theme :Community/Ethnic Groups/Forgiveness/Peace/Prayer/
Author Name :Rev. Joseph G. Healey, M.M./
Author City :Nairobi

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