In the arid expanse of northern Kenya,
‘It doesn’t matter – God is here!’

These Turkana women in traditional dress attended the launch in 1994 of the Psalms in Turkana. Now, thanks to O-21, the whole Bible in their language is available. Lodwar, Kenya. Photo: UBS/Maurice Harvey (KEN94C-7/14A)

NAIROBI, Kenya — “Today the light has come to us! Watch us! We are going to use this word to develop ourselves!” This was the declaration and the promise made by David Ekwee Eturo, Member of Parliament for Central Turkana, at the launch, in January, of the Turkana Bible, printed with the support of O-21.

The Turkana inhabit the arid, sandy expanses of northern Kenya. A nomadic people, they live by herding cattle, goats and sheep. It has been said that their main goal is simply to survive; in the harsh environment of northern Kenya, where rainfall is so scarce, they spend days seeking out grazing and water for their livestock and are constantly on the move, using donkeys and camels for their transport. Not surprisingly they traditionally worship a god called Kuj, who they say is the creator and lord of the rain.

The main town of the Turkana is Lodwar. In colonial days the isolated outpost of the Northern Frontier District and still the only town of importance in northwest Kenya, it lies some 80 kms (50 miles) from the western shores of Lake Turkana and a 2,000 kms (1240 miles) round trip from Nairobi. The journey by road from the capital takes at least two days and the advice to travellers is to stay in a convoy, guarded either by armed police or by a private armed escort, since certain parts along the road offer a haven for bandits and cattle rustlers.

To those outside Africa the Turkana are probably best known as a people of proud bearing and for the custom among the women of wearing huge quantities of beads around their necks. Estimates of their numbers range from 250,000 to 350,000; few speak Kiswahili, the trade language of Kenya, and their literacy rate is low.

Declaration

Perhaps this was what Mr Eturo, a leader in the area and himself a Turkana speaker, had in mind when he made his bold declaration at the Bible launch. As the congregation sang ‘Nearer my God to Thee’ there was a sense that the occasion was making the words a reality, said Sospeter Gatobu, Public Relations Manager of the Bible Society of Kenya and O-21 National Program Coordinator.

Bursting

“The excitement was almost bursting,” he said. “Then one of the choirs sang in Turkana and the crowd found the release they had been waiting for. The old and the young, men and women danced fervently - in spite of the scorching heat. It was if they were declaring defiantly, ‘It doesn’t matter; God is here!’”

Pastors and church leaders surrounded the cartons containing the new Bible, raised copies high in the air and prayed for it. The Roman Catholic Bishop of Turkana Diocese and the Chairman of the Turkana Pastors’ Fellowship said prayers of dedication.

Appropriately, the first public reading from the Turkana Bible came from the section in Deuteronomy 6 which includes the words, “… memorise his laws and tell them to your children over and over again.”

The Rev Henry Kathii, General Secretary of the Bible Society of Kenya, exhorted the Turkana to read and obey God’s Word.

“Strive to know the one who has spoken to you today,” he said. “Let him be your friend and your guide,” he urged.

Prof Ezekiel Kasiera, the Chairman of the Translations Committee, emphasised the need for them to know God’s purpose for their lives.

Best

“God wants the best for you. Read his Word and know what he says. Know God, walk with him daily and, later, live with God eternally.”