It is written in the Book of Corinthians: “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.”
Over the years, this has been a tough message for many Kenyans. We have known much disunity, disorder and factional and ethnic fighting.
The violence after the 2007 elections scars us as a nation to this day, and many still wear its physical and emotional wounds.
Two of those on opposite sides of the political divide, however, would find a way to heal some of those wounds when in 2013, the Jubilee coalition was formed after President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Minister of Agriculture and Higher Education William Ruto joined hands in Nakuru ahead of elections.
This was the first handshake that surprised the people and led to an end of some divisions in the nation.
The Jubilee coalition would then become the Jubilee Party which would feature two sets of hands clasped together under the slogan Tuko Pamoja (We are together).
Then, President Kenyatta explained the meaning of the new party and its implications.
“The essence of creating one national mass party has the main objective of uniting the nation and all Kenyans and curing the past politics of division and ethnic based mobilisation,” President Kenyatta said.
The initial handshake between Uhuru and Ruto took place in the Great Rift Valley, which had seen some of the worst fighting only a few years earlier.
Now, the Great Rift Valley is once again becoming a place of unity rather than a place of violence.
For many months, factions allied to Uhuru and those allied to Ruto were rumoured to be at loggerheads over the handshake between the President and ODM leader Raila Odinga and the Building Bridges Initiative which came out of it.
There have been separate BBI events, mutual recriminations and regular threats between the two sides.
However, perhaps for the first time, nine Rift Valley governors have invited the President, his deputy and Mr Odinga to the same BBI event as a way of healing wounds.
The event will take place in Nakuru, the scene of the first handshake.
Let no one underestimate the importance of this event with all the principals invited.
It might not completely end the animosity between warring factions, but it is certainly a welcome first step.
The BBI process is intended to unite a nation and create a bottom-up process of engagement with the citizens about issues and challenges facing the country.
The nine issues of Ethnic antagonism, National ethos, Inclusivity, Devolution, Divisive elections, Safety & Security, Corruption, Shared Prosperity, and Responsibility and Rights, are the core of the BBI.
Ethnic antagonism, national ethos, inclusivity, divisive elections and shared prosperity are of particular concern to those who seek a united Kenya.
However, some were using the BBI to divide rather than unite and its initial focus was being lost in the political battles that ensued.
It has become so harsh that it was uncertain if the BBI vision would ever be met and the train was moving off its rails.
Now, however, it has received a great shot in the arm, and in the Great Rift Valley.
Thankfully, we have some responsible leaders, and the President is seemingly buoyed by the display of unity by the governors in organising the rally in a town ripe with historic significance, not just for the Jubilee Party but the nation.
Let us all hope that this is the beginning of something new, a new spirit of unity.
The words of the Bible should guide us especially when it comes to issues of peace and unity.
God does not want us to have divisions, he wants to see us unified.
Out of Nakuru, it seems like this command is being taken seriously.
Paul Kipng’eny comments on social and political issues.
