“For the courageous peace makers who risk scorn, fear and harm to build a better world.”
Bishop Cornelius Korir may have penned these opening lines in his book: Amani Mashinani (Peace at the Grassroots), as a dedication to others, but, unwittingly, he may have been describing himself.
For Bishop Korir, the prelate of Eldoret Diocese who died on October 30, was perhaps the only clergyman in Kenya’s history for whom peace could have been his middle name.
While the Bomet-born bishop was celebrated for expanding the Catholic Church in the North Rift, what stands out in his 27 years of episcopal ministry is his role in building bridges and seeking reconciliation.
He believed that the best way to keep the peace in the north was to bring development to people.
“We dug two dams in East Pokot, and donors came in to utilise River Lelan, which is shared by the two Pokots and Marakwet,” he said in a past interview.
