ODM leader Raila Odinga on Tuesday, January 21, met with the senior-most leader of the Anglican Church in England, Archbishop Justin Welby.
Taking to his social media, the ODM leader indicated that he had met Welby in Nairobi as he was in his tour of the country with a view to meeting other leaders.
"Met with the Most Reverend Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury together with the Head of the Anglican Church in Kenya Bishop Jackson ole Sapit. The archbishop described the BBI report as “a remarkable document that can be used to change the ethos and culture of the country,” Odinga announced.
According to a statement released by Odinga's Spokesperson Dennis Onyango, Archbishop Welby noted that the bulk of the BBI report focuses on addressing socio-economic inequality as the source of the tensions and anger experienced in the country and appealed to Kenyans not to lose focus of those.
“There has been some focus on positions being created but we see that as part of the wider effort to create an opportunity for more communities to come to the negotiating table and deal with imbalances,” the archbishop announced.
He asked the country’s leadership to establish ways that would enable the church to take up the role of highlighting the good things in the document.
Welby also praised the country for embarking on the harder but more reliable way of uniting a country which he stated was meant to create its identity.
The statements were echoed by the Head of the Anglican Church in Kenya Jackson Ole Sapit, who indicated that the BBI report was the answer to a prayer that he had for a long time.
“A year before the 2017 elections, I had told the president that this country would be much better the day he and Odinga step back and agree to work together. It was the wish of the Anglican Church that the two work together.
"As a Church, we thank God that our prayers were answered and we remain convinced that posterity will remember the two positively,” Sapit was quoted by Dennis Onyango.
Justin Portal Welby is the 105th archbishop of Canterbury and the most senior bishop in the Anglican Church of England.
