Feb. 28, 2008, Grand Rapids, Mich. -- Rev. Mwaya Wa Kitavi's cell phone began ringing soon after the news broke this morning that the warring factions in Kenya had forged an anxiously awaited 50-50 power-sharing agreement.
A friend had called to tell the exciting news to Wa Kitavi, a native of Kenya. But the East Africa director for Christian Reformed World Missions had already read about it on his computer.
Nonetheless, the two celebrated what both hope will be a resolution to a two-month-long ordeal that has led to the death of more than 1,000 people and the destruction of homes, businesses, and churches.
When he got off the phone, Wa Kitavi said: "Everyone is excited in Kenya about the news. They are rejoicing and hoping they can move beyond the pain and start to rebuild the country."
Mwai Kibaki, the Kenyan president, and Raila Odinga, the opposition leader, signed the power-sharing agreement on Thursday after weeks of nationwide violence and political unrest that followed a disputed election.
Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary general who has been mediating the talks between the government and the opposition, said on Thursday that an agreement had been made which introduced a position of prime minister into the government for the first time in Kenya's history.
The post of prime minister will be filled by Odinga, who heads the largest party in parliament. Kibaki will remain president, according to the British Broadcasting Company.
Andrew Ryskamp, the director of the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, says he received his own call, shortly after the news broke, from a CRWRC staff member in Kenya.
"He was very, very happy," said Ryskamp of the CRWRC worker. If the agreement holds and calm persists, the hard work of rebuilding and helping bring about reconciliation in the country will begin. "There is a lot of healing that needs to be done," he said. "We will play a role in helping that to happen."
Ryskamp is one of the members of the CRC's Event Response Team, which was set up to monitor the situation and offer support and guidance to staff members in Kenya.
CRWRC has five full-time staff in Kenya. The country is also the base for CRWRC's HIV/AIDS coordinator for the East/South African region. Partners Worldwide, a CRC business-development ministry, also has a staff person in Kenya.
The power-sharing agreement comes after many weeks of negotiations in Kenya and prayers from around the world. The agreement also comes at the cost of a great deal of blood, says Wa Kitavi.
"My hope is that something good can come out of the innocent men, women, and children who lost their lives," he says. "The blood can make Kenya a better place. We can celebrate today for a moment, but there is much work that needs to be done."
Wa Kitavi says he and another CRWM representative plan to travel to Kenya in coming days in order "to hear the stories and find out how we can play an active role in the reconstruction."
Wa Kitavi most recently was an executive with the Chicago-based Bible League. He was hired by CRWM earlier this year. He is also pastor of African Community Fellowship, a Christian Reformed congregation in Grand Rapids. "You cannot forget the past, but my hope is that the people of Kenya will learn from what happened so that they can avoid the mistakes of the past."
-Chris Meehan, CRC Communications
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Henry Hess
Director of Communication
Christian Reformed Church
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