Catholic Bishops Criticise Ruto Govt Over Abductions & Unkept Promises, Issue Demands
- by Timothy Cerullo on Thursday, 14 November 2024
The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) has criticised President William Ruto’s administration over allegations of rampant corruption, over-taxation, and unkept promises.
Addressing the press in Ruaraka Sub-County, Nairobi County on Thursday, November 14, the bishops accused the government of failing to heed its initial promise of repaying the debt owed by the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to faith-based organisations.
In their statement, the church leaders also faulted the government’s decision to hike the missionary work permit. According to them, despite efforts to contact the president over the issue, the Head of State was yet to intervene.
The bishops also took a swipe at the Kenya Kwanza administration over its reluctance to constitute the Independence Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) despite several calls by different stakeholders over the same.
During the presser, the bishops similarly lamented over the agenda to extend the term limit of the president from five years to seven years. According to them, there were plans to rush the bill through Parliament for approval.
“We recall the pertinent issues we have raised recently with the government over taxation of Kenyans, the hiking of the missionary work permits, youth unemployment, and regulations of the education system including the Competency Bed Curriculum (CBC) and the education funding,” noted the bishops.
“This culture of lies, unkept promises, and misplaced priorities is unacceptable and needs to be dealt with. We believe that genuine consultations of all concerned stakeholders is necessary beyond the casualty public participation,” the statement added.
While addressing journalists, KCCB also criticised the government over the violation of human rights such as denial of the freedom of speech. According to the bishops, they were shocked by the government’s failure to resolve the recurrent cases of abductions forced disappearances, and extra-judicial killings.
The church leaders further noted that the decision by the government to remain silent on cases of abductions and murder particularly of young girls and women resulted in great consternation, anger, and disgust among Kenyans.
“Many families are grappling with the loss of their children who were brutally killed and went missing following what is referred to as the Gen Z demonstrations in June 2024. Many of them had raised concerns about rampant corruption, who is behind these abductions?” the bishops noted.
To resolve the menace, the catholic bishops advised President Ruto’s administration to put into good use the collected revenue and put in place austerity measures to avoid over-expenditure.
“We thank God for holding our country together, despite the social and political upheavals. We pray that our leaders guided by the values of justice, mercy, humility, selflessness and honesty provide good leadership and governance to our nation,” the bishops stated.
Narc Kenya party leader Martha Karua on the other hand has issued a demand to President William Ruto over the challenges facing the country’s education system.
Karua accused Ruto’s administration of behaving like locusts by destroying the education system.
“Ruto and his administration have behaved the way locusts behave when they descend on greenery. They consume everything and leave nothing. What his administration is doing is destroying education,” said Karua.
She accused the Kenya Kwanza government of not providing the basics for university students like accommodation, tuition, and meals leading to dropouts.
A collage photo of the ongoing University lecturers’ strike,
According to Karua, Kenya is experiencing major challenges in the education system, challenges that the William Ruto-led administration can solve but chooses not to.
“Kenya has money to do these things, cut out all the unnecessary spending, fund education as one of the basic needs of the country and of every human being to develop their full potential.”
She challenged Ruto to fix the education system like his predecessors who crafted free education models.
“We should be aiming to free education from ECD to university, instead Ruto and his administration are reaping off the education system,” she added.
Karua also asked Ruto’s administration to provide capitation for secondary and primary schools. She argued that if students are not properly supported they would drop out of school.
“This is a demand, not because we say so but also because the Constitution of Kenya says so and Kenyans expect it,” she remarked.
Her concerns come at a time when university students continue to stay at home following the lecturers’ strike.
The dons have been on strike, demanding that the government fulfill promises made during the signing of the collective bargaining agreement.
