This archive report was first published on 14 November 2019.
On November 14, 2019, a story was published in The Standard about the culture of violence in Kenya's politics. The article drew parallels between the Pharisees' attempt to stone an adulterous woman in the Bible and the violence that erupted in Kibra, Nairobi, during the 2019 elections.
Deputy President William Ruto and his allies accused ODM of having a militia wing that terrorized Jubilee legislators during the Kibra campaigns. However, the article argued that both sides were tainted by violence and should stop taking the moral high ground.
The article cited the post-election violence of 2007/2008, which resulted in the deaths of 1,300 Kenyans and displaced over half a million others. It called for national leaders to have a Damascus moment and renounce violence, not just for political expediency but with sincerity.
Leaders must own up to their misdeeds and seek forgiveness, the article said. Only then can the country embark on the path to healing and move beyond the culture of violence that betrays its emotional and political immaturity.
