KENYA: Decades after Death of Mill Hill Missionary, Kenyan Prelate Decries Injustice and Lack of Constitutionalism

Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA

As members of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) through the Catholic Justice and Peace Department (CJPD) mark the 23^rd anniversary of the late Fr. John Anthony Kaiser a member of St. Joseph’s Missionary Society of Mill Hill, a Kenyan prelate raised concern of injustices and lack of Constitutionalism in a nation that prides to respect rule of law.

“As a democracy, we pride ourselves as champions of the rule of law and respect for human rights as enshrined in the Constitution. As we celebrate the 13th anniversary of the 2010 Constitution on Sunday 27th August 2023, we register our concern about the lack of Constitutionalism despite having a progressive Constitution,” Bishop John Oballa Owaa the chairman of KCCB’s Justice and Peace Department said in a statement during the anniversary and disclosed that, “23 years after his death (Fr. Kaiser), his killers have not been identified and prosecuted.”

Addressing congregants on Friday, August 25, in Naivasha located in Kenya’s Nakuru Diocese, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ngong expressed the fact that if over the years the culprits have never been identified it is a sign of “injustice which is manifested in the present day through killing of innocent people for their religious or political stands in many parts of the world.”

“The most difficult conversations are the most important, the injustices which include extrajudicial killings of innocent Kenyans collectively remain issues we must be vocal about,” the Bishop emphasized recalling how the late Fr. Kaiser was “a brave man who never shielded away from confronting institutions and personalities bent on oppressing and denying the less fortunate and underprivileged members of society their dignity and human rights.”

According to Bishop Oballa, the late Mill Hill priest worked for the vulnerable, oppressed, and downtrodden members who still up to date are facing injustices and oppression in society.

“In his years of service in the communities he served, the people often faced land injustices and would forcefully be driven out of their lands. Anyone who spoke out against these evictions faced danger, but this did not stop him from speaking out fearlessly,” he disclosed in his Friday speech adding that the priest thrived in empowering the poor and speaking out for the oppressed.

Because of his character, “Fr. Kaiser He also publicly denounced corruption and immorality in the society. In so doing, he ruffled many feathers among the political class at the time,” the Church leader said.

Even though the death of Fr. Kaiser happened years ago, Bishop Oballa says that “Incidences of extra-judicial killing of citizens and detention of human rights crusaders against the constitutional requirement are still rampant in Kenya,” a sign that “Chapter Six of the Constitution on Leadership and Integrity remains unimplemented. The powerful continue to amass wealth at the expense of the poor who can barely provide for their basic needs due to the high cost of living and punitive taxation.”

It reveals further that “Corruption is on the increase, negative ethnicity, divisive politics, land grabbing, and forceful eviction of people from their homes remain a concern,” and these are the issues that Fr. Kaiser spent most of his life fighting for until his brutal murder. “In memory of Fr. Kaiser and all those who died fighting for the rights of the poor and underprivileged in society, we call for respect of the rule of law in line with the Constitution,” the Bishop appealed.

He referenced a quote of the famous Mother Teresa of Calcutta that “If everybody sweeps their own front door, the whole world will be clean,” and underscored that, “The path towards a more peaceful and just Kenya is one that we can reach, but it will require effort from every single person. All of us can be part of the change for which our country desperately cries.”

As the Church marks the 23^rd anniversary of the American cleric who was assassinated, Bishop Oballa remembers other brave Kenyans who spent their lives fighting for justice, respect of the rights of poor and underprivileged Kenyans but were brutally killed for their convictions.

On behalf of members of KCCB, the Shepherd of Ngong Diocese, reiterate their commitment “to continue speaking out fearlessly and supporting the vulnerable members of the community in line with the social teaching of the Church for the common good,” in belief that “when we work together in solidarity, we can bring lasting change to our beloved country towards integral human development.”