Late Bishop David Gitari championed for expansion of democratic space

1937 - 2013 Archbishop David Gitari who passed on Monday

By OSCAR OBONYO

“David Gitari should perhaps not be buried by the Church, but by the public. This is because he outshone colleagues at the pulpit and was doubtlessly the smartest politician of his time.”  

These sentiments by Gitari’s closest friend from childhood and later comrade in hurling barbs at government from the pulpit, retired Reverend Dr Timothy Njoya, best summarise the late prelate’s role, contribution and standing in Kenyan society.  

Njoya first met Gitari in 1961 at Thika High School during the Kenya Students Christian Fellowship. Then Gitari was a national official of the association, while Njoya was a Form One student at Kagumo High School.

Since that encounter, a half a century ago, the two stayed in touch and grew spiritually and intellectually into powerful human rights crusaders and anti-establishment mouthpieces. Their ties, at family level, were further strengthened when Gitari worked briefly with Njoya’s wife at the Bible Society of Kenya. 

“While at St Andrews Church (of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa), I would hear similar echoes of my teachings from Embu, where Gitari was, from (Dr Henry) Okullu in Kisumu and (Alexander Kipsang) Muge in Eldoret,” recalls Njoya.

Dubbed the “dangerous quartet” by former powerful Local Government minister, the late Moses Budamba Mudavadi, Gitari, Okullu, Muge and Njoya, were a thorn in the flesh of the regime of the Kanu political party in the 1980s and 1990s.

They unleashed venomous and stinging summons every Sunday against the government. From the pulpit, they preached against dictatorial rule, corruption, tribalism, and advocated the release of political prisoners. 

They were regarded as plotters out to overthrow the then government of retired President Daniel arap Moi. They were sought and brutalised. At one point, security officers broke into Gitari’s home in Embu and the ageing man of God had to climb and hide in the roof of his house to avoid torture and arrest. But his friend Njoya was not as lucky. He was cornered while leading protests along Parliament road and clobbered senselessly by ruling Kanu operatives, popularly known as Jeshi La Mzee.

Gitari was particularly opposed to the queuing system of voting or mlolongo as it was famously known. He sarcastically referred to it as the “Moi Mathematics”, where “the longer queue was the shortest and the shortest queue produced the electoral winner”.

Individual choice

At a personal level, though, Gitari’s relationship with Moi was fairly good. It was an on and off affair with the President occasionally inviting him to preside over major functions. At one point, though, he was summoned to State House and subjected to hostile grilling by members of Moi’s Cabinet. Gitari specifically mentions former influential Energy minister Nicholas Kipyator Biwott in one of his publications as one who fired prodding questions at him. 

But Moi quickly came to the defence of Gitari with the famous lines, “let the Bishop speak”. Gitari would later borrow this refrain to pen one of his notable books under the same title – “Let The Bishop Speak”. The book chronicles his challenges as a clergyman and includes all his controversial summons during the Kanu era.

“He was a churchman with a difference, who was tired with the old style of thinking. Gitari was particularly concerned with the prophetic role of the church in the world. Unfortunately he was a little misunderstood by government on this one, hence his endless troubles with security forces,” observes Catholic church priest and lecturer at University of Nairobi, Dr Dominic Wamugunda.

According to Prof Amukowa Anangwe, Gitari had the rare trait of ably combining theology and political activism. Anangwe, who teaches political science at University of Dodoma,Tanzania, observes that Gitari wasn’t driven by ethnic considerations in the course of his duty.

“He made religion more vibrant and relevant. Christianity, to him, was not all about the Bible but a way of life that had to be linked to politics and economics,” says Anangwe.

However, Anangwe, who served as Cabinet minister when Gitari was Head of the Anglican Church, concedes that the prelate “made life a hell for government”: “Naturally the Government does not like criticism even if there is some truth in the accusations and so we found Gitari very difficult to deal with.”

On January 1 at the beginning of every year, Gitari routinely hosted members of his immediate and extended family at his Philadelphia home in Kirinyaga, where he delivered a summon.

This year, Gitari preached about political tolerance. His grandson Dennis Itumbi recalls the old man telling his audience to anticipate change and embrace the same.

Itumbi, the Director for Digital, New Media and Diaspora in the Office of the President, interprets this change as political leadership. Grandfather and grandson walked different paths in the March elections as Gitari supported the candidature of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, while Itumbi backed President Uhuru Kenyatta.

According to the State House official, Gitari did not just preach democracy but he practiced the same at family level: “He pleaded with us to support Raila’s bid and gave us reasons for the same. And for his huge influence on the wider family, we were sharply divided over whom to vote for, but he respected each individual’s choice,” says Itumbi. 

Njoya’s regret

Self-belief and tenacity are some of the virtues that Itumbi, who staged a daredevil political push for Uhuru’s presidential bid, confesses he learnt from the late Gitari. An author of several texts, Gitari also mentored members of his family and neighbours into embracing education and knowledge. 

Looking back at history, Njoya regrets the dearth of clergymen of Gitari’s intellectual calibre. Wamugunda concurs that in this era of proliferation of all manner of churches, focus is more on the money than intellect. Same as Gitari, Njoya and Okullu were PhD holders and respected intellectuals with a chain of published work to their credit. 

“Gitari was a brilliant intellectual. With his sharp mind, he could cut through issues quickly like a knife through a pawpaw,” says Njoya.

When the quartet of Gitari, Okullu, Njoya and Muge reigned, they did not have their match in government, which was dominated by the not-so-well educated but influential politicians, including Sharrif Nassir, Kariuki Chotara, Mulu Mutisya and Kihika Kimani, all who have since passed on. Others were Ezekiel Barngetuny and Wilson Leitich.

“This lot could not comprehend and respond to our summons. Even the fairly educated politicians at the time could not address the issues Gitari, Okullu, Muge and I were raising because they had hanged their brains,” claims Njoya.  

But Njoya regrets that Gitari has left behind orphans and not heirs of his philosophical ideals: “When a leader dies and leaves behind individuals who can emulate his ways and pick up from where he left, we say he has left behind heirs.

But when such individuals only admire his deeds but are unable to emulate him, we say he has left behind orphans.”

Indeed the tale of Gitari is rich and many continue to tell it differently. But his own version of the story – a moving autobiography – was already with the publishers by the time he passed on. In his own words, Gitari chronicles his explosive encounters with politicians and tackles the issue of delicate relationships between church and politics.

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