KENYA: Kenyans in Rome pray for victims of Garissa Massacre

The Catholic
Bishops of Kenya together with Students and Kenyan Community living in Rome prayed
for the departed souls of Garissa University students massacred by Al Shabaab
in Kenya on 2 April 2015.

 

Speaking during
Holy Mass at the Holy See, the Chairman of KCCB, His Eminence John Cardinal
Njue, who is leading Kenyan Bishops on an Ad
Limina visit, urged Kenyans in Rome to pray for the bereaved families and
Kenyan leaders to steer the country towards unity and togetherness.

 

The
Archbishop of Mombasa Most Rev Martin Kivuva urged Leaders and Christians at
large not to sit and watch as evil prevails but to exercise their powers of
prayer to change the situation.

 

Relating to
Al Shabaab attack on Garissa University College in North-Eastern Kenya on 2
April 2015 that left 148 dead, Archbishop Kivuva said that some Christians have
refused to stand up to be counted as Christians and instead they caused more
pain than joy by looking aside. 
“Christians are charged with responsibility to be true witnesseses of
Christ and therefore, should do what they are called to do by Christ,” he said.

 

Archbishop
Kivuva condemned the terrorists and their intention to create hatred among
Kenyans by dividing the people along religious and community lines causing fear
and suspicion amongst Kenyans. “Why should we kill each other like this?,” he
asked.

 

He said, “Christ
died to make us equal, to reach out to others and to send us out to bring peace
and be one whether from a different community or religion; something that has
been downplayed by leaders who have put their self-interest a head of
everything.”

 

He also
condemned corruption, bad governance, lack of transparency and inequitable
distribution of resources that he said has caused many Kenyans to remain poor.

 

Catholic
Bishops in Kenya are in Rome for their “Ad
limina” visit to the Pope and various offices of the Holy See from 13
to 17 April, 2015.

 

Meanwhile, the government of Kenya has
started a wall project which demarcates the Kenya-Somalia border in an effort
to secure the country from Somali based Al Shaabab militants. 

 

According to
the Director of Immigration Services Gordon Kihalangwa who was quoted by Kenyan
Newspapers the project aims at ensuring that Kenyan board with Somalia is
secure by preventing illegal immigrants and proliferation of small arms into
the country. 

 

The wall
will have a surveillance road to prevent infiltrators using undesignated areas
from accessing the country would not bar cross border movements, as there would
be designated exit and entry points.

 

The project
is fully funded by the government with relevant government departments chipping
in, the ministry of transport, the National Youth Service and KDF have given in
their support to this noble task. 

 

The move is
taken as one of the strong measures the government is taking to combat
terrorism in the country. Recently, about 148 students were killed by Al
Shaabab militants at Garisa University College.