Land Issue, a Challenge to the Social Mission of the Church: A Theological Socio-Cultural Study on Kenya Land Tenure
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Date
1999-02
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Tangaza University College
Abstract
Indeed the land question in Kenya is a topic that does not
need to be introduced, as if it were an issue which significance
people are not aware of. At a purely social level the Kenyan
land question is such an emotional issue that in discussing it
one may easily run the risk of being just rhetorical. This being
said, there remains a call rising from the many wananchi who
wonder why to date this (land) question is not yet solved and
has not been paid its due heed by legislators.
If from a sociological point of view it is not necessary to
utter many words to explain the relevancy land issues have for
ordinary people, that does not apply when we turn to a
theological perspective.
Is it not unusual that a burning issue such as land which
is not alien at all to the biblically rooted Christian faith,
has not yet been introduced into the local theological discourse
as well as not yet becoming a pastoral concern of our Christian
communities? Taking into consideration the fact that for a good
number of wananchi land is the thorny crux of their daily life,
should not theology stop, stoop down and listen to people's
grievance?
For many a Kenyan, land has become a real burning issue
even to the extent of experiencing the heat of the fire when
eviction occurs. For many others, land remains a thorny reality:
playgrounds, public fields and forests are fenced off, leaving
citizens invaded with frustration, anger and a sense of
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powerlessness. An increasing number of people, however, no
longer want to be passive onlookers: women and men of good will
from all walks of life and belief are coming together as God's
people, asking themselves what to do before the situation gets
worse. Operation Firimbil is an example of this rising common
concern.
No doubt before taking any resolution it is necessary to
understand deeply the present context, looking back at our
culture, history and social structures (Chapter One). Faith, if
one has it, opens up the human horizon to better value
achievements and failures (Chapter Two). All this is to be done
with the purpose of struggling as God's people for a truly
humane society (Chapter Three), where land is brought back to
its original meaning: a place in which to live with God in
peaceful acceptance of one another's difference and dignity.
The scope of the land problem is so vast that it could not
be contained within the limits imposed on the present essay.
However, an effort has been made to stretch its limits by
annexing extra documentation (appendices).
Description
Keywords
Land Issue, Social Mission, Socio-Cultural, Land Tenure, Theological, Church, Cultural Analysis, Colonial, praxis, Pastoral