Anglican church opposes impeachment plan, ask Ruto and Gachagua to dialogue

Anglican Church of Kenya led by Arch Bishop Jackson Ole Sapit opposed the calls to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. [Jenipher Wachie, Standard] The Anglican church has opposed a looming plan to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. The church said instead, that President William Ruto should do what it takes and create room for dialogue with his deputy to end the current ensuing squabbles in government. Led by Arch Bishop Jackson Ole Sapit, the church said it is concerned with the current political activities that have led to a dysfunctional presidency pitting the president and his deputy. This the church said has created unnecessary political tension across the country. Sapit spoke on Thursday in Nairobi during a press briefing of the Standing committee of the provincial synod of the Anglican church. According to him, there have been heightened calls for the impeachment of Gachagua from President William Ruto's side, diving the Presidency. "We demand that the President and his Deputy embrace dialogue and mutual respect to foster unity for the development of our beloved country," said Sapit. He added: "Ours is a call for dialogue, impeachment is not a solution because as per the constitutional framework, the kind of presidency we have today is a joint one where the two are elected in the same election vote and I don't think impeachment is the way forward. Let the two sit and talk like they did before the elections." Sapit said the church has also noted the negative ethnicity, nepotism, and discrimination in government appointments both in National and county governments, which are threatening efforts towards national cohesion. "We urge the government to prioritise professionalism over nepotism in all areas of public service and governance. By emphasising merit-based appointments, we can ensure that capable and qualified individuals are placed in positions of responsibility, ultimately leading to improved efficiency and accountability," he said. During the meeting, the church also rejected the contentious Religious Regulations Bill sponsored by Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana. "We note that there is a Religious organisations bill before the Senate seeking to regulate the operations of the Churches in Kenya. The mission of the church is spelt out by respective religious organisations' constitutions and any attempts to enact a law that interferes with the operations of the church is unacceptable," said Sapit. The clergy said the Bill lacked public participation and should be withdrawn. "We therefore reject the bill and demand its withdrawal. There was no public participation where the church was involved, it then should be withdrawn then the church is part of the discussion before it is tabled in the Senate." The Bill, which was tabled on September 11 before the Senate, seeks to provide a legislative framework for the regulation and registration of religious organisations. If passed, churches will be required to pay taxes on income, gifts or profits generated from lawful activities. Sapit said there is a need for all church denominations in the country to sit together and collectively come up with one way forward on the Bill. According to the Bill, the revenue would only be exempt from taxation if they are entirely allocated to charitable causes. The Anglican church also called for the immediate reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission(IEBC). They argued that this will make it possible for the country to be ready for the 2027 elections and also to fill vacant seats. "The country should prioritise IEBC reconstitution than engage in political activities we are seeing because there are many vacant seats that need to be filled and also 2027 election is not far away and we risk being caught not ready for the elections due to lack of an IEBC in place," Sapit said. On the transition from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to the Social Health Authority (SHA), Sapit said no contracts have been released, yet health facilities must review and interrogate the proposed terms and packages before they sign. He also asked the government to end the registration period from the expected September end month ahead of the rollout on October 1. "It seems impossible to achieve the transition within the remaining days hence we recommend that the Government extend the commencement date to allow adequate preparation and transition," he said. The church also said SHA has dropped the IT system that NHIF has been using, which is well understood by hospitals, which could bring issues in getting information on past claims by hospitals. "We have fear from past experiences where such transition led to the loss of information and hospital claims from the system. We demand assurance from the Government and SHA that all pending unpaid claims will be recognised and paid off promptly," he said. He added: "We demand the immediate remittance of money by the National Treasury to NHIF to offset the massive debt owed to faith-based and other health facilities to pay staff salaries, and suppliers and to avert the risk of closure."

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