“We have depleted our forests through illegal logging, charcoal burning, and cutting down trees for firewood. These activities, if unregulated, have negative outcomes,” KCCB members say in their July 24 message.
“We have seen how our rivers and fountains are drying,” they further say, adding that as a result, “access to water for human use has become a national challenge.”
The Catholic Bishop highlight the negative effects of climate change, including “rising temperatures, unusually cold weather, and unpredictable planting and harvesting seasons among other catastrophic effects. All this continues to endanger human life.”
On August 9, the Kenyan electorate is expected to vote for six categories of representatives at national and county governments, namely, the President and his Deputy, Members of Parliament (MPs), Senators, women representatives, County Governors and their respective Deputies, and members of the county assemblies (MCAs).
In their latest message, Catholic Bishops in Kenya say they desire to be part of a country that is governed by political leaders who uphold public ethics and integrity, utilizing resources for the common good.
“We look forward to a country where corrupt practices do not exist; a country where we can access public or civil services without favoritism or need for bribery,” they say.
KCCB members further say they want “a God-fearing Nation that does not praise those perpetrators of evil, criminals, but condemns evil and facilitates its sanctions through the laid down systems.”
“Our values should always reflect resistance to a culture of corruption in all its forms,” they say, and add, “Corruption is a cancer that eats the soul of our country.”
KCCB members say they want a country where the rule of law is paramount and every person is treated equally by the law. They say, “We look forward to a country where there is no impunity, and where the powerful and wealthy do not escape so easily from great crimes and injustices.”
They emphasize the need to abide by legal structures of the country across all sectors of society, saying, “We look forward to a Kenya where the citizens follow the law, not because the police are watching but because we know it is right; where we all… follow traffic laws; where we do not look for shortcuts to circumvent a requirement of law.”
