Faith leaders from across Kenya have called for stronger interfaith collaboration grounded in shared moral values as a pathway to peace, justice, and social cohesion.
The call was made during a virtual Interfaith Harmony Week webinar held on 5 February 2025, organized by the Inter-Religious Council of Kenya (IRCK) in partnership with the Global Peace Foundation (GPF) under the theme “Love of God and Love of the Neighbour.” The forum brought together religious leaders, faith-based institutions, civil society actors, and development partners to reflect on values that unite different faith traditions and to explore practical ways of translating dialogue into collective action.
Speaking during the webinar, Mr. Daniel Juma Omondi, Africa Regional Representative of the Global Peace Foundation, emphasized that while religious doctrines may differ, moral foundations across faiths are deeply aligned. He highlighted the sanctity of human life as a universal value shared by all faith traditions, noting that life is precious and must be protected regardless of one’s religious affiliation.
He further observed that respect for human life extends to environmental stewardship, including the protection of rivers, forests, mountains, and ecosystems, which sustain human life and community wellbeing.
Participants also emphasized justice and fairness as core values expressed across all faith traditions, noting that justice enables peaceful coexistence and calls communities to care for one another regardless of faith, gender, age, or social status. Closely linked to this was the value of compassionate living, with speakers underscoring that love, mercy, kindness, and service to others are teachings found in all sacred texts.
Faith leaders further called for the cultivation of humility, self-control, gratitude, and mindfulness in interfaith engagement, noting that mindfulness is a moral duty that requires sensitivity to diverse beliefs, cultures, and lived realities. Scriptural reflections from different traditions were cited to reinforce the link between faith and ethical action, including teachings that call believers to act justly, love mercy, walk humbly, and responsibly steward the earth.
The webinar also urged faith communities to move beyond dialogue to intentional collaboration, particularly in addressing shared societal challenges such as poverty, injustice, environmental degradation, social fragmentation, and moral erosion. Speakers emphasized that while faith traditions maintain distinct doctrines and practices, they share a responsibility to work together for the common good without compromising their beliefs.
The forum featured speakers from Kenya’s major faith institutions, including Mr. Linus Nthigai, Chief Executive Officer of the Inter-Religious Council of Kenya; Canon Rosemary Mbogo, Chairperson of Global Peace Foundation Kenya; Fr. Rev. Charles Kilonzo from the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB); Sheikh Yusuf Abuhamza from the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM); and Ms. Sujatha Kotamraju from the Hindu Council of Kenya.
In closing, participants reaffirmed that the future of peace lies not in competition among faiths, but in collaboration rooted in shared moral values. They called on religious institutions to provide ethical leadership and to actively promote harmony, justice, and human dignity in communities across the country.
