“Young people who are being abducted are being denied their rights; the right to speak. Their only mistake is that they spoke. They said something that somebody, somewhere, was not pleased with. And the only easy way is to eradicate, maybe to go and torture them or go and do nasty things toward them, intimidate them so that they cannot do it again. No! The Holy Father says we must advocate for justice,” he said at Christ the King Cathedral of Nakuru Diocese.
Bishop Oseso lamented that the fight for justice in Kenya was taking a long time. He said, “Our leaders have come showing us they will improve the living conditions of the Kenyan citizens. That has not happened.”
Cautioning Kenyans to be more prudent in electing their political leaders, the Kenyan Catholic Bishop said, “We are the people who elect these characters. Maybe we have learned our lessons. But we must not forget to fight for those who are suffering.”
He said he finds it baffling that the Kenyan government, which took shorter to nab petty thieves, was dragging its feet in addressing the abductions.
“If you steal today, you will be found by the next day. How then is it that with the abductions, they say they don’t know? Who should know?” the Local Ordinary of Nakuru Diocese since his Episcopal Consecration in May 2023 posed, and added, “We presume the government should know where these people are.”
He went on to urge Kenyans to instill hope among youths in Kenya, especially college and university graduates, who he said were “loitering around with their certificates” with no employment in sight.
“Are you giving hope to the younger generation?” He posed, adding, “These are the questions that we should be asking ourselves, as a nation. This is what we are called as pilgrims of hope.”
“Let’s bring hope in our society,” Bishop Oseso emphasized, alluding to the theme of the 2025 Jubilee Year, “Pilgrims of Hope”.
Reflecting on this theme of Yearlong celebrations, which Pope Francis officially launched on the Eve of Christmas 2024, he said, “Let’s pray for hope that our leadership may understand that they have a role to play, (and) for us also in the church to understand our role and be able to exercise it without intimidation and fear.”
“Let us pray together as pilgrims of hope that this year may bring a new light to a country that sometimes seems to be moving in darkness,” Bishop Oseso appealed.
