Opponent of Ugandan dictator wins world Methodist peace prize
-19/01/06
A Kenyan Method
Opponent of Ugandan dictator wins world Methodist peace prize
-19/01/06
A Kenyan Methodist bishop who spoke out against the violent regime of former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin has followed in the footsteps of Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter and Kofi Annan by winning the latest World Methodist Peace Award.
Bishop Lawi Imathiu will be given the award during a ceremony on 29 January 2006 at
Kenya Methodist University in Meru. The presentation will be made by Sunday Mbang of Nigeria, chairperson of the World Methodist Council, which sponsors the award.
Imathiu was president of the WMC from 1986 to 1991, the first African to serve in this capacity. Now retired, he serves as the Africa continent secretary for the council’s Division of World Evangelism.
In 1977, as Idi Amin, a brutal political tyrant, caused upheaval in East Africa, Imathiu was a strong advocate for peace and justice in the region.
When Amin attempted to silence the witness of the church by ordering the death of the Anglican archbishop of Uganda, Imathiu took a courageous stand and called Amin a murderer and an oppressor. Imathiu was serving as a member of the Kenyan Parliament at the time.
The bishop “showed great courage, with a clear voice for peace, reconciliation, salvation and hope for all the people,” noted the Rev George Freeman, chief executive of the World Methodist Council.
He also took a stand against South Africa’s apartheid system and led a delegation that met with President P.W. Botha of South Africa at a critical stage in the struggle again the racist system.
As one African to another, Imathiu urged Botha to release Nelson Mandela from prison and to remove the shackles on the people.
A second council delegation met with his successor, President F.W. De Klerk, to press again for the release of Mandela and the dismantling of the oppressive apartheid system.
Mr Mandela, who was finally freed in 1990 and was elected president of South Africa in 1994, received the World Methodist Peace Award in 2000.
The bishop was instrumental in founding Kenya Methodist University, which trains Christian leaders in business, agriculture, politics and economics as well as theology. Currently, he and other national leaders are working to develop a new constitution for Kenya.
“Lawi Imathiu has given his entire life as a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ and more than 50 years as a courageous, creative advocate for the cause of peace and reconciliation around the world, particularly in the continent of Africa,” the council commendation statement said.
It went on: “His faithful witness reflects the values of the World Methodist Peace Award and the criteria for receiving the award: courage, creativity and consistency.”
Previous recipients of the World Methodist Peace Award include former US President Jimmy Carter, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and Bolivian household-worker-turned activist Casimira Rodriguez Romero.
Opponent of Ugandan dictator wins world Methodist peace prize
-19/01/06
A Kenyan Methodist bishop who spoke out against the violent regime of former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin has followed in the footsteps of Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter and Kofi Annan by winning the latest World Methodist Peace Award.
Bishop Lawi Imathiu will be given the award during a ceremony on 29 January 2006 at
Kenya Methodist University in Meru. The presentation will be made by Sunday Mbang of Nigeria, chairperson of the World Methodist Council, which sponsors the award.
Imathiu was president of the WMC from 1986 to 1991, the first African to serve in this capacity. Now retired, he serves as the Africa continent secretary for the council’s Division of World Evangelism.
In 1977, as Idi Amin, a brutal political tyrant, caused upheaval in East Africa, Imathiu was a strong advocate for peace and justice in the region.
When Amin attempted to silence the witness of the church by ordering the death of the Anglican archbishop of Uganda, Imathiu took a courageous stand and called Amin a murderer and an oppressor. Imathiu was serving as a member of the Kenyan Parliament at the time.
The bishop “showed great courage, with a clear voice for peace, reconciliation, salvation and hope for all the people,” noted the Rev George Freeman, chief executive of the World Methodist Council.
He also took a stand against South Africa’s apartheid system and led a delegation that met with President P.W. Botha of South Africa at a critical stage in the struggle again the racist system.
As one African to another, Imathiu urged Botha to release Nelson Mandela from prison and to remove the shackles on the people.
A second council delegation met with his successor, President F.W. De Klerk, to press again for the release of Mandela and the dismantling of the oppressive apartheid system.
Mr Mandela, who was finally freed in 1990 and was elected president of South Africa in 1994, received the World Methodist Peace Award in 2000.
The bishop was instrumental in founding Kenya Methodist University, which trains Christian leaders in business, agriculture, politics and economics as well as theology. Currently, he and other national leaders are working to develop a new constitution for Kenya.
“Lawi Imathiu has given his entire life as a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ and more than 50 years as a courageous, creative advocate for the cause of peace and reconciliation around the world, particularly in the continent of Africa,” the council commendation statement said.
It went on: “His faithful witness reflects the values of the World Methodist Peace Award and the criteria for receiving the award: courage, creativity and consistency.”
Previous recipients of the World Methodist Peace Award include former US President Jimmy Carter, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and Bolivian household-worker-turned activist Casimira Rodriguez Romero.