The vulnerability of young people to manipulation by elements of religious intolerance, radicalization, and violent extremism has continued to pose an existential challenge all across Africa. This has, for a long time, had an impact on peace and the peaceful coexistence of people from different religious backgrounds across the continent.

To help address these phenomena, The Programme for Christian-Muslim Relations in Africa (PROCMURA) has been proactively engaging and sensitizing the youth through PROCMURA Chapters in Learning Institutions, a programme tailored to create a continental interfaith movement of youthful peace ambassadors to confidently face and address issues of common concern among the youth.

The PROCMURA Chapters in Learning Institutions programme seeks to establish platforms through which it can address the United nations sustainable development goals (SDG) 16, on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, and Aspiration 4 of the African Union Agenda 2063 “A peaceful and secure Africa”, which calls for nurturing of a culture of peace and tolerance in Africa’s children and youth through peace education, has so far seen hundreds of students in various universities across Kenya sign up and pledge to be active peace ambassadors in their institutions and their respective communities.

In November this year (2022), PROCMURA successfully launched two additional Chapters in two more universities in Kenya - the Moi University main Campus in Eldoret and St. Paul’s university in Limuru.

The Moi University PROCMURA Chapter

At Moi University, the Assistant Dean of Students Rev. Ignatius Sheri, and Senior Chaplain Rev. Saul Tanui, who represented the university’s administration in the launch, welcomed the initiative and gave their personal and the institution’s commitment to making sure that the club lives to its vision, and the larger dream.

While presenting the club’s registration certificate from the office of the Dean of Students and other instruments of the club’s operations, Rev. Tanui, noted that the chapters were key instruments that universities need to adopt in their various campuses given that learning institutions are composed of students from various backgrounds be it religion tribe and social standing in society.

This programme will therefore help in nurturing a culture of tolerance across the board. At the same time, he called on the pioneer members to continue with the recruitment drive and the evident zeal of spreading messages of peace and peaceful coexistence among students at the institution.

The PROCMURA-Moi University Chapter will provide a platform for a structured working relationship between the two institutions – PROCMURA and the institution of higher learning.

The St. Paul's University PROCMURA Chapter

A few days after the launch of the PROCMURA-Moi University Chapter, PROCMURA was celebrating the launch of yet another Chapter at St. Paul’s University on the outskirts of Kenya’s capital Nairobi. This time the event was much bigger as it was graced by visiting PROCMURA Executive Committee members and Area Advisers across its constituencies in Africa most of who are graduates of the ICMR Masters degree Programme from the Limuru campus.

Rt. Rev. Dr Nathan Samwini In his address to the participants, thanked St. Pauls University for opening their doors yet again for PROCMURA and establish another programme on campus in addition to the ICMR programme that begun years ago. He acknowledged the fruits of this relationship as it had seen and enabled Area Advisers who were present to serve the churches in Africa as a whole on matters of Christian - Muslim relations which remain the Core mandate of PROCMURA’s work. He recognised the fore fathers of PROCMURA, St Pauls university and all partners for their visionary leadership in establishing a platform such as this one to build the capacity of the churches in Africa through the ICMR programme.

The Dean of Students who spoke on behalf of the St. Paul’s university, Rev. Dr Joseph Mutei in his address to the delegates emphasised the importance of the chapter at the university as it would assist in empowering students on campus who are more often than not vulnerable to the phenomena of Radicalisation and Violent Extremism among other vices that affect students in learning institutions. His prayer was that the chapters becomes a sustainable tool and mechanism that would assist in addressing some of the interfaith challenges faced by students on Campus.

Rev. Dr. Julius Kithinji Dean of the School of Theology and the Chapter coordinator Ven. Scholar Wayua were enthusiastic about the programme as it would be housed in the Institute of Christian-Muslim relations (ICMR centre) which focuses on interfaith relations and stated that this new addition will add more value to its programmes at the university and strengthen even more the already existing working relationship between the institution and PROCMURA.

Learning institutions are among the few places that bring together youth from different backgrounds and are therefore key and strategic in bringing the youth across Africa on various decision-making process.

The ultimate goal of the PROCMURA Chapters in Learning Institutions is to create a network of interfaith movements of young people across the continent that will take center-stage in addressing issues of religious tolerance, radicalization, and violent extremism among other issues of common concern to the youth both at the institutions’ level and the community as well.

PROCMURA will continue with the launch of this Chapters across its constituencies in Africa to ensure that it creates a the voice of the young on important matters that pertains them.