KENYA: “We Cannot Allow our Country to Recede into Disaster,” Catholic Bishops to Politicians in Kenya
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
Catholic bishops in Kenya have warned politicians both from the opposition-led Azimio la Umoja-one Kenya Coalition Party and from the Kenya Kwanza government as well as all Kenyans to keep off from incitements raising political temperatures and called for reasoning together for the good and development of the nation.
The bishops’ concern comes following a nation-wide call by the opposition party leader for citizens to have demonstrations against the government due to high cost of living among other issues.
“We as a country must decide that we are not going back to that slippery path that leads to violence…We cannot allow our country to recede into disaster,” Church leaders warned the public in their statement signed by the Chairman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Martin Kivuva Musonde
They added calling on all leaders to be humble and embrace dialogue saying, “We are appealing to all Kenyan leaders across the political divide that we must humble ourselves to sit, talk and dialogue, in order to find solutions. The path to resolve any problems in our country must be exclusively those within the provisions of our Constitution.”
In the message shared on Saturday, March 18 two days to the demonstration day that was on Monday 20, members of KCCB echo “the grave concern expressed by all the religious leaders, of the return to politically incited tensions,” acknowledging that the country is in “real danger of taking the slippery road to anarchy, caused by the incitement of political players.”
Addressing the opposition leader honorable Raila Odinga who proposed the demonstrations, the bishops narrated, “We have appealed and appeal yet again to Rt. Hon Raila Odinga as person, and to the entire opposition led by Azimio la Umoja that we should not give space to demonstrations that risk to turn violent, nor matches that aim at insurrection and mutiny. Such actions would only negate the very rights and authority of their demands.”
Consequently, they continued, “We are asking Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga and all aggrieved leaders, to seek other avenues to address the merit worthy issues,” and reminded the leaders that even though the “Constitution provides for rallies and picketing, but these cannot have an agenda of forceful take over or destabilization of a Constitutional Government.”
“Such rallies should highlight issues and seek solutions not to compound them,” they warned in their Saturday statement and advised the leaders further, “Let us not weaponize misery…Our leaders, let us sit down together! Kenyans, let us reason together.”
The bishops underscored that Kenyan’s are faced by too many problems as a country, “majorly famine and hunger, and cost of living.”
As we try to solve them (the Country’s problems), the prelates said, “We neither wish to compound them with the risk of violence. There are very many merit-worthy problems we must address, ills we must criticize, un-kept promises we must challenge, but these must be done within the constraints of our Constitution, with due respect to the Kenyan people, to life, and to each other as leaders.”
Archbishop Musonde of Mombasa Archdiocese in the message on behalf of the Bishops after their meeting in Ufungamano house, Nairobi further appealed to the President and his government to address the pleas of the distressed Kenyan people.
“Enough food must reach those facing Famine and the cost of living must be contained. We also call out the in-opportunity of bloating further our public expenditure, by appointing a huge number of Chief Administrative Secretaries, in a time Kenyans are struggling to survive,” the Prelates said in their statement and posed “How can we expect Kenyans to now heed to the call of Government to contribute for the support of those faced with hunger?
The Church leaders appreciated the peaceful election held last year August and the great provocation peace which citizens kept after the Supreme Court decision on the appeal on presidential elections and for overwhelmingly voting for peace.
With this backdrop in their address to citizens, the bishops warned Kenyans to “refuse being lured into the past politics of confrontation, violence and of seeking “justice” by looting and destruction of property.”
“We Kenyans must reject the venom of hatred that is becoming common-place in our politicians mouths,” they said and continued, “In fact we must be ready to walk out of those inciting us to violence, in order to destroy the future of our children.”
Giving reference to Pope Francis message during his visit to war-torn Congo DRC and South Sudan, the Catholic bishops noted that leaders should embrace a different kind of leadership, “A leadership of service and not self-serving one and a leadership of dialogue and non-violent means to find solutions to our problems.”
