"On the Brink of Losing Hope"

Famine, scandals and the IDPs continues to dominate the local Kenyan news. Famine, scandals, and the Internally Displaced People are also the subjects requiring intense prayer support!

“FAMINE: New maize scandal…”* unveils “A fresh controversy … involving 6,500 tonnes of maize … the Kenya Bureau of Standards … has declared … unfit for human consumption. But other competent government agencies … say there is absolutely nothing wrong with the maize. Now a source … is alleging that it is all part of a clever plan to sell the maize … at a throwaway price as animal feed. The buyer will certainly mill it and sell it as ordinary flour at a neat profit.”

Based on facts such as this and the questions (Who is responsible and where are they going) surrounding a shipment of tanks held for months by pirates and now being unloaded in Mombasa, it is not surprising that on page three of today’s Daily Nation an article appears entitled: “POOR LEADERSHIP: Coalition has failed … Most Kenyans believe life has become worse and have little hope in the Grand Coalition Government … These are the damning findings in the Kenya National Dialogue and Reconciliation Monitoring report … blames the lack of political will for the … scandals in government … (and) the loss of billions of shillings … also points to the failure in national healing and reconciliation as exemplified by the hostility towards internally displaced persons.”

This is discouraging, but there is some hope in the news. Kenyans are questioning why all of this is happening and what can be done. One such article, “The two faces of Kenya on Valentine’s Day” (Sunday Nation, (2/15/09, p.3), asked why a few Kenyans had spent anywhere from the equivalent of $50 to $350 on dinners last Saturday as “about 10 million Kenyans are facing starvation.” This open questioning would not have happened in Kenya even a few years ago.

Pray for courage, boldness and protection for Kenyans who are asking questions and seeking change that benefits all Kenyans and not just an elite few. Praise God for those who are finding ways to respond to the famine such as the milk company that ran a large ad in today’s Daily Nation (p.31) advertising “Highly discounted prices on … milk to all relief agencies, corporates, churches and Kenyans of good will … to support famine relief” and provide nourishment for “Kenyan child(ren) on the brink of losing hope.” Pray for churches that are seeking the best ways to minister in the name of their Father. Pray especially that relief foods will not be unavailable or slow to arrive due to requests for bribes and other forms of corruption. Bert Yates
*** Resources for raising prayer support for famine in Kenya and other places can be found at: Praying for Famine, Lifting Our Hearts and Our Hands to Heaven http://prayingforfamine.blogspot.com/
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
* “FAMINE: New maize scandal as Ruto is grilled” (Daily Nation, 2/17/09, pp.1,4) – http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/531316/-/u2fnad/-/index.html
“Tanks off ship and ready for rail journey” (Daily Nation, 2/17/09, p.2) – http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/530336/-/u2ey0y/-/index.html
“POOR LEADERSHIP: Coalition has failed, say Kenyans” (Daily Nation, 2/17/09, p.3) – http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/531266/-/u2fmmc/-/index.html
“The two faces of Kenya on Valentine’s Day” (Sunday Nation, 2/15/09, p.3) – http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/530512/-/u2f0j0/-/index.html