The Catholic Bishops have raised concerns over the rise of goons in the country, disrupting events, including those being held in places of worship.
Speaking in Nairobi, the clergy under the Kenya Catholic Bishops Conference said the manner in which the goons are operating appears as if they are protected, citing that they can be easily identified, but authorities seem reluctant to arrest the vice.
"These goons work for their paymasters who can easily be identified by our criminal investigators," the bishops stated in a joint statement issued by Reverend Anthony Muheria of Nyeri, Martin Kivuva of Mombasa, and Nairobi’s Phillip Anyolo
Adding that, "Moreover, it is happening in the sight of those in charge of the security in our country and even law enforcers.
Their concerns come following the recent attack on Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi at the Kisumu hotel by a group of 20 people suspected to be goons.
The bishops also challenged the security agencies to tighten surveillance systems and social vigilance, citing the recent discovery of unclaimed bodies buried in mass graves in Kericho, linking such cases to unexplained killings.
"This is totally unacceptable and shameful; people are dying, and life seems to continue as if nothing has happened. Investigations on killing fizzle out very quickly and are easily forgotten," they stated
Noting, "it is very sad that this happens because the victims were poor and seemingly unimportant,"
On the current crisis in the Middle East that has led to fuel shortages, the bishops said they have been directed by Pope Leo to pray for peace, optimistic that the government will mitigate the effects.
While criticising the wanton corruption among the leadership in the public sector, the clergy highlighted a case of attempted land grabbing of a piece of land belonging to Catholic sisters in Karen, among other cases.
At the same time, they highlighted challenges facing the health sector in the country, specifically the Social Health Authority, noting that the government has yet to release about Sh5.7 billion to the Catholic hospitals.
“The overall performance remains poor. The parliamentary report on SHA by the Departmental Health Committee makes it clear that the scheme has serious shortcomings. The role of the Digital Health Authority in the SHA processes concerning the rejected and returned claims needs to be clarified,” the bishops stated
Pointing out, “the government should therefore act with great urgency to address the SHA structural deficits, significant underfunding and operational deficiencies, including technological systems downtime,”
Similarly, they asked the government to streamline the implementation of Competency-Based Education to avoid putting the learners in a constant mode of experimentation, noting that the system requires more teachers, equipment, and financing.
“We implore the Ministry of Education to urgently constitute a multi-sectoral team to study, properly evaluate, and design in an understandable manner on how the CBE system can fully operate,”
At the same time, they challenged the youths to make every effort to ensure that they register as voters ahead of the 2027 general elections and vote to voice their concerns by electing people who will change the country.
Of late, the Bishops said they have been experiencing difficulties in the legal process of civil registration and legalisation of marriages, citing that obtaining marriage certificates has become exhausting.
“The clearance process is slow and at times insensitive to times and date set. These conditions have discouraged many from contracting marriages, as the statics shows,” they stated