Catholic bishops want President William Ruto and opposition leader Raila Odinga to embrace dialogue and resume bipartisan talks to end the crisis that has gripped the country, resulting in mass protests that have led to the loss of life and destruction of property.
Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) chairman Martin Kivuva called on the two leaders to amicably iron out the issues they have differed about.
Bishop Martin Kivuva, of the Archdiocese of Mombasa, who was flanked by his Nyeri counterpart Anthony Muheria and Bishop John Obala of the Ngong' bishopric, called on Ruto and Raila to seek a peaceful resolution to the impasse.
The bishops who spoke in Nairobi on Wednesday, appealed for non-violent protests as they called on the president and the opposition chief to end the standoff.
Give dialogue a chance
"We are appealing to President William Ruto and the Right Honourable Raila Odinga to give dialogue a chance. We also demand that they should resume bipartisan talks. This should be done in a way that will also bring on board religious leaders, and eminent persons as well as other organisations that can help unlock the stalemate," said Bishop Kivuva.
He called on Raila to engage a different strategy that will not hold the country hostage, or lead to violence and destruction.
Kivuva, who spoke on a day of protests in various parts of the country, appealed to Raila to suspend the anti-government protests and embrace dialogue.
The opposition called the protests to push the Kenya Kwanza administration to lower the cost of living.
The Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition is also pushing for the repealing of the Finance Act 2023 to lessen the tax burden on Kenyans, the same position the Catholic bishops have also taken.
Azimio and Kenya Kwanza are also fighting over the formula of reconstituting the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission. This was after the opposition leaders raised fears that the government planned to handpick new commissioners, a move that, if allowed, would disadvantage them in the next elections.
The bishops noted that there will be more losses, of life and property if the three-day weekly demonstrations are allowed to go on.
Archbishop Muheria noted that the protests are a result of distress that Kenyans are going through due to the high cost of living, and urged the government to repeal "the Finance Act that is a major burden to the public".
"Within this background, the recently enacted Finance Act places an unsustainable burden on already distressed citizens, especially those within the low-income bracket," Muheria said.
Institute a process
He added: "We, therefore, ask the president to repeal the Finance Act and institute a process that will seek to achieve the same goals within the context of the current economic context."
The clerics also condemned police brutality on protesters terming it "an act of violence and abuse of power".
"We understand there are criminals who disguise themselves as protesters. They vandalize property and steal. They even kill people in their evil schemes. These are the ones that police should go for, to ensure peaceful demonstrations are conducted according to the law," Muheria said.
Bishop Obala urged the government to ensure honesty in its actions, especially regarding the current economic situation, as the only way for the Ruto administration to regain public trust.
The religious leaders acknowledged that peaceful demonstrations allow individuals to express their grievances but appealed to the public to remain peaceful.
