REPORT FROM KENYA

Fr. Ken Forster O.M.I. writes from Kenya:
 

I will begin by thanking each of you for your support of me through your friendship as well as through your interest and concern for our ministry here in Kenya.

I was home for three months this summer with a good month on the road visiting former parishes where I had served, and visiting my friends who made the journey a pleasure. I was pleased to find everyone quite well among my family and friends. I put ten thousand kilometers on the vehicle allotted to me. At every stop, as I was instructed by the Merian People, I thanked you for your prayers and support of the many projects that could not have succeeded without your matching donations.

When I returned ( to Kenya) I found many things to tackle. Only now after four months back am I starting to feel a little more room to plan, not panic. We just celebrated a mass and closing ceremony with students, teachers, families and supporters of St. Eugene Day Secondary School. We killed the fatted calf. Actually it was a bull and ate the whole animal. There can be no celebration without meat, as it is something special.

Mr. Kiraitu Murungi, our M.P., who will certainly return to resume his seat this year, has given us an accolade in his Campaign brochure as he states he will work for the establishment of Secondary Day Schools. Mr. Kiraitu is from one of our Prayer Houses and is a credit to the Catholic Church. He is often a voice for justice in the house of parliament. "To make secondary school education accessible to children from poor families, Kiraitu will continue to support the establishment of more day secondary schools in D\South Imenti." We are the only one in the District so obviously people have been talking to him about the impact that the school is having. Next year we will be having our first graduates so we will see how they succeed at the National Exams.

The Primary Feeder Schools have pledged themselves to bring 500 ksh ($10 Can) per family each year to raise money for the next Secondary School in Gaturi. Twelve Primary Schools will be supporting this new endeavor. Some works may have to be delayed as the bonus from tea this year was only 2/3 of what people received last year. Many had debts accumulated, so money had disappeared before it came to the hand. We fear that we may even lose students in St. Eugene because parents are unable to pay the low fee that we are charging. Boarding Schools will be more in jeopardy as many parents will pay the first term in Boarding Schools and be unable to complete the year. That will cause a great problem to the Schools. Do they expel the students after the first term, until the family pays (many cannot) or do they leave the students in school and perhaps never collect anything more from a good number?

Once again politicians are promising free and compulsory education at the Primary Level. Elections are only three weeks away. Many hope it will be their Christmas present. It comes on the 27^th of this month, right after "Boxing Day". Hopefully not literally, as we are hoping for peaceful elections. The opposition has a chance, for the first time since independence, of ousting the KANU Party. I notice a tremendous change in freedom of speech with this election. This is the most important time in the political life of Kenyans since independence in 1964. I would say that in spite of a Multi-Party System being accepted in 1994, this is really the first election where there is relative freedom of speech. In our area NARC (National Alliance Rainbow Coalition) has tremendous support especially this year, as they can taste victory. The opposition has managed to unite and there are only two serious Presidential Candidates this election. I believe NARC has a very good chance of victory this time, but I suspect there will be shock to discover the actual financial situation of the country.

So we plan to enter 2003 with a new government. As well, we have a good number of plans for our ministry as well. We are now nine Oblates working in Kenya. We have hope that a few young Congolese Oblates will join us as well. Our Superior General, Fr. William Steckling, will visit us next November. Three Oblate Provincials from Canada will be with us in February, as we come under the authority of the new Lacombe Province in Canada.

Much work has to be done in the area of our Formation Programs. We presently have five Pre-Novices living in Meru. We have purchased three acres of land with several buildings to house these young men interested in joining the Oblates. We now have title to the land, although one tenant has not yet left one of the buildings. But we are very grateful. We have also purchased, by bid, a mini-bus from the Australian High Commission. It has taken us a month to do the paper work of registration, but we may have the plates by next week.

We have just formed a building committee to oversee the building of a convent for Sisters in 2003. We have the money necessary for this structure as we have been saving for over a year. MAMI has supported this project along with thirty-two other projects to the amount of $104,000. Thank you who have supported MAMI.

The Mt. Kenya East Water Project has now received the transfer of most of the funds raised from Canadian Donors and C.I.D.A. The project is not included in the above. The total cost will be approximately $600,000. The intake on the first line is almost complete and work will be resumed when the rains let up. The Project consists of about 17 km of Plastic Pipe, eight and ten inch, and three large storage tanks. This Project will serve about 2100 small farm acreages when completed. The people are doing the manual labor free and contribute to an on-going maintenance fund, which will be put into savings where interest accumulated will hopefully prevent the white elephant syndrome.

I was in Nairobi last week with a few of the leaders of the Kionyo Women’s Bakery, shopping for equipment. There are three manufacturers who have a distributor in Kenya. The women’s Co-operative will purchase at least an oven now and other appliances, as money is available. This will be a commercial enterprise to assist the 150 women in the project. It will happen!

The Timber Duka (Shop) is now in operation. The Prayer House of Kionyo has ownership of everything there now, including some timber in stock.

This year we have sixty-five adults in the Catechumenate Program planning to be received into the Church next year. Our Catechists are involved in the instruction of these candidates.

The Diocese is involved with a Synod Process to hopefully listen to the people and plan a direction for the Diocese in the coming years. This is an important process at this time as we received a new co-adjutor Bishop in March. Bishop Silas Njiru will be seventy-five in October so will probably retire at that time.

So apart from other important news, like half our chickens dying of some disease, I haven’t much more to share with you at this time. I’m sorry for the form letter, but even with this method I know I will be late in sharing Christmas greetings with those who do not have e-mail. We now have set up e-mail through a cell phone and it seems to be much more reliable. If some of you receive this by ordinary mail and you have an e-mail address, please respond by e-mail so that we can set up better communications.   A reminder not to send graphics as our server is long distance.

Cocoa is over-due for her calf, and I too am expectant. I await the celebration of the Lord’s Coming and wait some news from your household. Thanks for your love and support. Keep me in your prayers and the work of all Oblates in Kenya. I must admit that perhaps you are failing in this respect, as there are times when I don’t feel too patient with the demands on my time and energy. After New Years, all of us will try out our new Mini-bus with a trip to Mombassa to spend a week by the sea. We are calling it a retreat. It will be a welcome break.

May the peace and love of the Incarnate Lord touch your lives and those you love.

Fr. Ken