Catholic Bishops Laud Kenyan President for “efforts in the right direction”, Urge Him to Do More to “inspire hope”

The decision to dissolve the Cabinet, KCCB members said, is meant “to give space for a more competent, dependable and leaner team that can deliver to Kenyans.”

On July 11, President Ruto announced he had dissolved his Cabinet, as well as the office of the Attorney General, and that the office of Deputy President, Rigathi Gachagua, and that of the Prime Cabinet Secretary, Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi would continue to function as previously.

The Kenyan President said he would "immediately engage in extensive consultations across different sectors and political formations, with the aim of setting up a broad-based government.”

In their July 15 statement, Kenya’s Catholic Bishops called upon President Ruto to make good his promise to consult widely before reconstituting his new Cabinet.

They emphasized the need for the President “to consider Integrity among other values in the new appointments as stipulated” in Chapter Six of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010. 

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“We also ask the President to reconsider appointments in all other critical public appointments,” KCCB members said in the statement they read out in turns, adding, “The new appointments should inspire hope and a fresh start.”

The new appointments, they further said, “should reflect the face of Kenya as demanded in the Constitution.”

In their address to the press, the Catholic Bishops in Kenya also appealed to politicians in the country to respect places of worship and other sacred places, saying that the use of churches as platforms for politics “must stop”. 

Additionally, they said, turning funerals into political platforms is disrespectful to the families mourning their beloved ones.

“We cannot continue to allow political dances in spaces meant to console and help heal affected families. We must emphasize that political and all manner of divisive speeches should not be allowed in funerals,” KCCB members emphasized.

They also reiterated President Ruto’s decree that no public officers should participate in Harambees,  a Kenyan way of fundraising for development projects. 

In their address to journalists, Catholic Bishops in Kenya suggested that no cash donations or gifts and that any donation be made in cheque or cash transfer. 

“We appreciate the genesis of Harambee and how, over the years, it has assisted families, communities, institutions, and even government institutions to immensely benefit. However, the spirit of Harambee has been lost and abused,” they lamented, and caution politicians in Kenya against “misusing the places of worship to gain popularity through display of money.”

“We however realize that if we recover the good spirit of coming together in harambee, we can greatly assist the needy,” KCCB members said, and added, “We must insist on the accountability of the funds and assurance of where the donations come from.”

The Catholic Church leaders also condemned corruption, which they said is embedded in the culture of the East African country with government officials amassing wealth for themselves through crooked means.

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“We are appalled by the shameless amassing of wealth by siphoning taxpayer hard-earned money,” they lamented, and continued, “Some of the public servants have brought dishonour to their offices and Kenyans in general.”

“Prophet Hosea reminds us, ‘They have deeply corrupted themselves as in the days of Gibeah: he will remember their iniquity, he will punish their sins’. Humility has been totally lacking in leadership” with a section of Kenyan leaders “treating citizens to impunity and arrogance,” KCCB members said July 15. 

They recalled the message of Pope Francis during his visit to Kenya in 2015 that “corruption is not a path to life, it’s a path to death”. 

Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.