Religion and the Prevention of Election Violence: Lessons from Kenya

Abstract

Religious organizations, including churches, can play an important role in promoting peace and stability. This role is not always recognized by policymakers and academics in the West. This essay shows how many churches in Kenya recently excluded politicians from their religious gatherings and denied them access to the pulpit. They did this to help prevent violence from breaking out around the elections. With the upcoming elections in the United States, churches and church leaders could learn from their Kenyan colleagues. Americans should cherish the separation of religion and electoral politics since it is meant to prevent politics from becoming corrupt or religion becoming untruthful.