Society needs to open eyes and get up from its knees

The death toll from the Shakahola massacre in Kilifi County has exceeded 100. Many of the dead have been confirmed as children. While most of the deaths resulted from starvation, there are indications that some people were asphyxiated.

Last week’s column discussed the context in which such a massacre in the name of religion could occur. I argued that, over the years, a significant section of society has come to believe that their material circumstances are caused by a supernatural force. They see resolution of their situation as being outside their or the government’s power. This, in my view, represents a fundamental shift in the relationship between religion, state and society as conceptualised in the foundational architecture of the Kenyan or any modern state.