“We have rejected tribalism,” Catholic Archbishop Cautions Kenyans against Incitement by Politicians

“The same thieves who once stole together are now turning against one another, starting to divide among themselves what they had plundered,” he said.

“When we hear politicians singing songs of hatred and insults of brutality, we must separate ourselves. We must tell them, ‘be silent’,” Archbishop Muheria added.

The Catholic Archbishop appealed to the people of God in the East African country to avoid tribalism, saying, “Beloved Christians, we must rise up and remind ourselves that these ways can never be accepted in the ways of Christ.”

He found it unfortunate that when Kenyans disagree, they begin to think along tribal lines.

The Archbishop of Nyeri Archdiocese highlighted some of the major effects of tribalism on the nation, drawing examples from Rwanda, which experienced genocide due to tribalism fueled by politicians.

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“Remember Rwanda,” the Kenyan Church leader said, and added, “The conflict started when politicians started telling the citizens that people of a certain tribe were certain animals. They began calling names. They called them cockroaches, saying these cockroaches must be eliminated…That is how Satan enters the mouths and souls of those who hate.”

The Local Ordinary of Nyeri urged the people of God to embrace unity, returning to the ways of Christ, saying, “Beloved Christians, it is again time to return to the ways Christ has called us to. We are one people. We are one community. We are the tribe of Christ. The blood flowing in our veins after baptism is the blood of Christianity.”

Sabrine Amboka is a Kenyan journalist with a passion for Catholic church communication. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from St. Paul's University in Kenya.