KENYA: Calling for Reconciliation Between President and His Deputy, Catholic Bishops in Kenya Offer to Mediate
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
Catholic Bishops under their national body Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) have called on the Head of State and his Deputy to work on their broken relationship and “seek ways of reconciling and working together for the sake of the unity of the country,” as they offer to avail themselves for mediation.
Addressing the nation after a two-day meeting at Donum Dei Centre in Nairobi, the Bishops’ Conference noted that the disagreement between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Samoei Ruto is a source of disruption of peace in the country.
“It is an open and sad reality that the President and Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya are not reading from the same script. The public exchanges that are being witnessed are dangerous for the prevailing peace and tranquility in the country and cannot be taken lightly,” the Prelates said in their collective statement issued Wednesday, September 15, adding that the duo is “already creating anxiety among the people and have potential to ignite political violence if not addressed with immediate effect.”
The bishops appeal comes at a time when the Head of State and his Deputy have in the recent been exchanging “very sharp and hard words” publicly.
“We are deeply concerned that if this open disagreement between the President and the Deputy President is taken up by their supporters, the trickle-down effect it could generate across the country will be dire to even contemplate,” reads an excerpt of the statement signed by the bishops and it adds, “In a young democracy like ours, it is important that there is unity among the top leaders as this gives confidence to the people.”
In the statement, the Prelates express their availability to support in reconciling the two leaders saying, “As Church leaders we are ready to step in and mediate a working arrangement between the two leaders that our Country badly needs as provided by the Constitution.”
“We are open, and have always been with them at different times, but whatever is going on sends a bad signal. We are offering ourselves again and again, we have done it before and we continue to do it, we are not tired,” the KCCB Chairman Archbishop Martin Kivuva Musonde of Mombasa Archdiocese narrated emphasizing their readiness to help in mending the division.
The Church leaders further called for political tolerance following an “increase in incidences of political thuggery and intolerance in the country.”
“We call on politicians to exercise sobriety and tone down on political rhetoric. Nobody, irrespective of his/her position or political leaning, should be allowed to threaten the lives of Kenyans in pursuit of his/her political ambitions and goals,” the bishops said and “Urged the National Cohesion and Integration Commission to take action on all politicians who by their political pronouncements are spreading ethnic hatred and divisions.”
“We remind our leaders that if we continue along this path of ethnic mobilization, we are exposing this country to serious danger. Time has come for us to introduce maturity and discipline in our politics,” the Church leaders said warned all Kenyans to desist from following political leaders blindly.”
In conclusion, the bishops ask Kenyans not to be “manipulated by leaders to engage in violence or perpetuate negative ethnicity because we all belong to this one great country called Kenya. Elections come and go but our country will remain. We should not destroy this country to satisfy the unbridled ambitions of a few politician.”
