Africa must work in closer partnership to safeguard peace, uphold the rule of law and strengthen social cohesion amid emerging regional and global pressures.
Addressing delegates during the 60th Anniversary of the Association of Evangelicals in Africa in Nairobi, Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi urged faith leaders across the continent to play a more deliberate role in guiding communities and shaping a stable and humane society.
“Your role in helping the continent remains as important as it was then as it is today. Perhaps even more important today,” said Mudavadi.
“Put your best foot forward and help humanity become better because these conflicts are hurting us.”
Mudavadi cautioned that the global governance landscape is facing increasing strain, with multilateral institutions encountering mounting challenges at a time when parts of Africa are witnessing worrying reversals in constitutional order and democratic governance.
“Even institutions like the African Union and the United Nations, multilateralism itself, is facing a serious challenge,” said Mudavadi.
“These institutions were critical in ensuring peaceful interventions and the rule of law globally, but they are now facing a looming challenge.”
He warned that Africa is beginning to witness a resurgence of unconstitutional changes of government and growing threats to stability and governance.
“In Africa, we thought coups were behind us. For a moment, we are beginning to see a resurgence of coups,” Mudavadi said.
“We are also seeing extremism and fundamentalist tendencies beginning to take control in some places and the rule of law being thrown through the window. If we are not working together, we are going to have a very volatile continent.”
Mudavadi also raised concern over reports of citizens being drawn into foreign conflicts they scarcely understand, noting that Kenya continues to receive rescued nationals even as others have lost their lives.
“We are starting to face the challenge of our citizens finding their way through whatever means to go and fight in wars they do not understand. Yesterday we received the thirty ninth, not dead but rescued and brought back home alive, but others have lost their lives,” added Mudavadi.
Mudavadi said he will travel to Moscow next month to seek clarification and pursue appropriate interventions as the Government intensifies diplomatic engagements to safeguard Kenyan citizens abroad.
The Prime Cabinet Secretary further warned that disinformation is increasingly shaping public discourse and influencing vulnerable populations.
“Disinformation has become the currency on some of these platforms and in the process it is causing damage. Your strength and your power, and how you choose sermon themes and communicate, put your best foot forward. Help humanity become better because these conflicts are hurting us,” paused Mudavadi.
The Prime Cabinet Secretary urged faith leaders to engage citizens across generations and work closely with institutions and governments to address emerging challenges.
“We have to talk to our citizens in equal measure, the young and the mature. We have to talk to institutions. We have to talk to governments and leadership at all levels as this is a looming crisis,” he said.
Mudavadi noted that ongoing conflicts are pushing millions of children out of school and stretching already limited resources, while diminishing funding is affecting humanitarian and development interventions.
“Millions of children are out of school. These conflicts are expensive and we cannot afford certain interventions. We must now become alive to the reality that there is donor fatigue. Raising resources within multilateral institutions is becoming difficult due to diminished funding and attention,” he said.
Also present were, Principal Secretary for Economic Planning Dr Boniface Makokha, Archbishop Dr Arthur Kitonga, AEA Secretary General Dr Master O Matlhaope, members of the Executive Board and regional presidents, as well as delegates and faith leaders drawn from across the African continent.
The Association of Evangelicals in Africa, founded in 1966 in Limuru and headquartered in Nairobi, coordinates evangelical alliances in more than fifty African countries and advances peacebuilding, advocacy, leadership development and humanitarian initiatives across the continent.
