KENYA: Kenyan Prelate Decry Divisive Political Leadership in AMECEA Region

Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA

A Kenyan Prelate has expressed discontentment with the style of political leadership in countries within the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) region, pointing out that political leaders create divisions in society instead of fostering unity and collaboration.

“In the AMECEA region, sometimes we are saddened when government does not promote unity among the citizens. It is a great concern for us,” Archbishop Maurice Muhatia Makumba the Chairman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) expressed in his message on Saturday, October 5, during national prayer day at the Subukia National Marian Shrine in Kenya’s Nakuru Diocese.

“We don’t want elected leaders to keep dividing citizens in the countries as this undermines development,” the archbishop remarked, highlighting that “It defeats the purpose of why we became nations, and why we fought for independence.”

He pointed out that in AMECEA region which comprises nine countries, disunity is often caused by the political leaders, and that, “It is a scandal since many of the leaders are Christians.”

“How can leaders who call themselves Christians continue promoting division and disunity? The Local Ordinary of Kisumu Metropolitan paused a concern noting that unity is next to godliness and that when people are united, they express godliness.

“It is our prayer that countries in AMECEA region express unity even in the political arena. We pray that elected leaders unite our countries in the AMECEA region and express this gift of unity that comes from God,” he said and implored further, “May the Lord touch the hearts and minds of political leaders in the AMECEA region to understand why the citizens give them the mandate of leadership to unite people not to divide people because of selfish agendas.”

He called upon thousands of congregants who gathered at the shrine, the village of Mary, to pray for all the countries in the AMECEA region to foster unity and that there may be unity among political leaders in the region.

“May the Lord bless the Church in AMECEA, may the Lord bless our communities, and may everything we do always express our being created in the image of God as we fulfil the prayer of Jesus, ‘Father may they all be one as I am in you and you in me.’ He concluded.

This year’s prayer day at Subukia shrine, in Nakuru, brought together members of the KCCB, the faithful from all the Dioceses in Kenya, and representatives from AMECEA countries as the region was closing the year-long celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Small Christian Communities (SCCs) that was launched last year in Malawi.