Tribute to a true comrade Archbishop David Gitari

By TIMOTHY NJOYA

Just like Elijah the prophet, Bishop David Gitari obeyed God’s command to defend humanity, sovereignty, hope and dignity of Kenyans by preaching Psalm 72: 1-4 and 12-14 that: “Give the king your judgments, O God, and your righteousness to the king’s son; that he may govern your people with righteousness; and your afflicted with justice. Let the mountains bring peace to the people. And the hills, in righteousness. May he vindicate the afflicted of the people, save the children of the needy; and crush the oppressor. For he will deliver the needy when he cries for help. The afflicted also, and him who has no helper. He will have compassion on the poor and needy, and the lives of the needy he will save. He will rescue their life from oppression and violence, and their blood will be precious in his sight.”

That inspiration provoked top government officials to profile Bishop Gitari, Henry Okullu, Alexander Muge and Reverend Timothy Njoya as members of a “dangerous Quartet”. They were so provoked by Gitari’s sermons demanding that the Government governs the people with righteousness, saves the children of the needy, have compassion on the poor and crushes the oppressor that in Parliament a Cabinet minister thought his sermons were plans to take over the Government. Saboti MP Wafula Wabuge accused the Quartet of having “formed an invisible party to take over the government”.

This was before the rise of the secular Civil Society as an advocate of justice and therefore the Quartet was the only real alternative government. Gitari reigned with God on the pulpit where God’s reign shall last forever.

Gitari’s reign on the pulpit helped save President Moi and any future presidents from the danger of driving a reckless autocratic state that didn’t have constitutional speed governors. In fact, Gitari intervened at a critical point when the state had become too dangerous to itself and was paranoid for failing to observe God’s precepts of Psalm 72.

By the end of the Kenyatta regime, the state had started suffering too much in-bleeding disorders, detaining citizens without trial coupled with self-cannibalisation disorders by which it expunged itself of its most intelligent and ardent Kanu supporters like Pio Gama Pinto, Tom Mboya and J.M. Kariuki.

Due to the Quartet’s divine selflessness and self-sacrifice, qualities rare among Kenya religious leaders, Gitari did not feign to spare his own life. He didn’t mind bleeding if his blood could save Kenya from the inbleeding and self-cannibalisation disorders of the Government.

Inspired by our love of God, the people and our country, I have always shared common inspiration with Gitari since Kenya became independent. Before independence, I had heard Gitari as a staunch revival brother. In 1961, I met him at a Kenya Students Christian Fellowship’s week conference in Thika High School where he was a key speaker.

In that conference Gitari’s speech was the first political sermon that I had ever heard by a revivalist. He talked of political freedom from colonialism and asked African Christian students to position themselves for taking over from the white man. That sermon broke the sound barriers of the missionary tradition. No wonder when independence came, Gitari found himself in a Quartet of preachers that refused to heed threats to their lives if they did not separate religion from public affairs. The state wanted the Church confine to itself its saltiness, light and holiness and the state to confine to itself its darkness, violation of human rights and exploitation of the poor. But Gitari was always the salt and light of the world.

Gitari was an honorable, saved and ecumenist leader per excellence; the most pragmatic and charismatic prophets that the world ever had. In the National Council of Churches of Kenya, Labeth Conference of Anglican Communion, World Council of Churches and other theological circles, Gitari was able to transcend his racial and ethnic identity. His universality was evident when he reached out to Hindus and Muslims especially when he joined the Jukwaa La Katiba to defend Kadhi Courts.

Given his development record in the dioceses he served, Kenya knew Gitari as one of the best and pragmatic statesmen and managers that it ever had. Gitari’s life was a political marathon, religious steeplechase and divine relay. In this divine relay anyone who thinks she or he can take the baton and run like Gitari and Jesus, who began and finished, can stand up to be counted. This begs the question, who is Gitari’s successor and heir? That is Kenya’s great challenge to all and sundry! Amen.

The writer is PCEA leader and human rights activist