HON. MELITUS MUGABE WERE, the story of a KENYAN PEACEMAKER

When I received the most dreaded phone in Kansas that one night

An SMS from a priest friend in Kisumu woke me up from my bed in Rome on Tuesday morning. "Those people have killed Melitus Were". I was shocked. I refused to believe it. Soon another SMS arrived from another friend in Nairobi to whom I used to send Were to deliver letters whenever he travelled to Nairobi from Rome. In less than one hour, I had received messages from six people. And the local Italian televisions which hardly cover international news were beginning to talk of a Kenyan MP killed.

Yes, the bad news I was trying to deny was actually true. Gunmen had shot dead in Nairobi a dear friend, a new Member of Parliament who had just made it to Parliament, managing to only attend one session.

When Were came to Italy shortly before elections, he told me he was looking for financial support for his campaign. I was deeply touched when he said that the money he needed was not to be dished out to buy voters but to invest on community projects to help the people of Embakasi. "Steve, I don't want to give out money the way my opponents are doing. I want it to go into what can help people now and the future."

Were was sure of being elected to Parliament. He told me the people of Embakasi were with him. And he already had a plan of the first thing he wanted to do after being elected. Fight for creation of Ministry of Kenyans in the Diaspora. Were said Kenyans abroad were making very important contributions to Kenya's economy. He told me he would push into the creation of this ministry to look into welfare of Kenyan's abroad and find ways of coordinating their remittances into lasting development projects. He considered such a ministry as important as the ministry of foreign affairs. Now he has been killed before he even starts to make his contribution to the Parliament. In memory of Were, I request that this ministry be created.

Were was a long time friend. We worked with him as volunteers at The National Catholic Youth Centre (Mji wa Furaha) in the early 90s. At the centre we coordinated activities of Catholic youth in different parts of Kenya, organising and conducting leadership courses for youth group leaders. One of the main activities of the centre was to organise annual National Youth Challenge Week, which brought together several thousands of Catholic youth from all parts of Kenya to reflect not only on their faith but also on the issues affecting their lives as young people and on Kenya's political scene.

Were was a perfect youth animator. He knew the problems affecting Kenyan youth and challenged them so intelligently to reflect on them and look for solutions. All the young people who came at Mji wa Furaha called him Melly. In fact many know him as Melly than Melitus.

After our experience together at Mji wa Furaha, Were left for studies in Rome. He was enrolled at the Pontifical Gregorian University for a course in Social Communications. I soon joined him there. We lived together at the same student's hostel hosting 150 students from 50 countries. Here Were continued being an animator, taking a leading role in organising social and cultural activities. By then there were very few lay Kenyan students in Rome, especially at the Pontifical Universities. Were became a point of reference for all new Kenyan students arriving in Rome. He helped many get admission to universities in Italy and accommodation. He was also of great help to many Kenyan seminarians in Rome who wanted to leave religious life but didn't know where to go to.

When Were first arrived in Italy, he was received by an Italian family in Lecce, a town in the south of the country. Most Africans in this town were Senegalese hawkers and Italians looked down on them because they could not speak good Italian and many had a lower level of education. Were struggled to change the bad perception of Africans in Lecce. He led Africans there in organising cultural events to promote African cultures seminars, concerts, and parties featuring African foods and music.

Were became so famous in Lecce that in most estates he went to, people kept on inviting him to their homes. He became an adopted son of this city, managing to mobilise the youth here to be active members of the church and to organise socio cultural activities. How nice it was to see young Italians take part in African plays, dressed in African costumes as they performed before thousands of Italians in public squares! It was during such events that Were proudly talked about Kenya, helping Italians know other aspects of Kenya apart from being a famous place for its wildlife. I remember a particular discussion Were had with an Italian lady who was convinced Kenyans lived on trees. Were, like many of us living abroad, was used to such misconceptions and had learnt to treat them jokingly. "Were you living on top of a tree before you came to Italy?" the woman asked. Were replied: "Yes." "What about the Italian Ambassador in Kenya? Does he also live on the top of a tree?" she asked. And Were replied: "Yes, being a big man, he lives on top of a very big tree." Were later showed the woman a picture of Nairobi city and she remained surprised at what she saw.

As a youth formatter, Were became a role model for Italian youth. Many young Italians don't take their studies seriously because they know that even after dropping from school their families will help them find jobs. Were encouraged many such young people to take their studies seriously, always reminding them of how lucky they were to have a chance to go to school for free.

He also used his influence to help many young Italians overcome relationship problems, avoid becoming drug and alcohol addicts. With such a big following, Were could have succeeded to raise a lot of money for himself. But he never did that. He went round humbling himself, practically begging for money and sports equipment for the orphans and youth in Dandora.

Were loved doing something to help the needy people and this is what motivated him to seek election as a councillor for Dandora ward in 2002. Before leaving Rome to pursue this dream, Were sat down to draw a plan of what he wanted to do to help improve lives of people in Dandora. I've never known a councillor in Kenya who has ever done such a thing.

I also remember Were as a person who was respectful of authority, but who never feared to pinpoint what was wrong, what he never agreed with, even when it was very risky to do so.

We have lost a young, brilliant and loving legislator, Melitus Mugabe Were. I we will remember you brother."


By Stephen Ogongo Ongong’a