According to Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit, the government was yet to steer the country in the right direction.
The Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) has expressed its support for the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) over their public criticism of President William Ruto’s government in their address on Thursday, November 14.
In a statement obtained by Viral Tea dated Monday, November 18, the ACK began by taking great exception to media reports which they believed had seemed to indicate that ACK does not agree with the Catholic Bishops for calling out the government on a number of issues facing the country.
According to Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit, the government was yet to steer the country in the right direction.
“We the ACK, fully support the catholic bishops’ statement to the nation. We believe that the government is yet to turn around the country and steer it in the right direction. Calling church leaders names or dismissing the bishops’ statement as “misleading, erroneous and false,” is itself dishonest,” the ACK stated in part.
President William Ruto and Head of ACK, Jackson Ole Sapit. /FILE
“The bishops have spoken the minds of Kenyans and faithfully expressed the truth as things are on the ground. No amount of attacks or intimidation will deter the church from calling out evil and speaking the truth to power.”
The ACK urged the political class and those in government to “come down from their high horses, listen for once, rather than seemingly perpetuate the commonplace culture of impunity”, adding that the governed do not need lectures but services and honest engagement.
“Please concentrate on providing leadership in a meaningful way and first tackle the myriad of problems that is bedevilling the country,” ACK appealed.
Agreeing with their KCCB counterparts, the ACK called out the government for its failure to successfully implement the new university funding model, citing other issues touching on the survival of public universities and the release of capitation, whose perpetual delays have continuously undermined the efficient running of public schools.
“It cannot be gainsaid that the transition from National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) has been anything but smooth, causing Kenyans untold suffering. It cannot be gainsaid that Kenyans have suffered unexplained abductions, forced disappearances and unresolved murders,” Ole Sapit continued.
“Who should be held responsible if not the government? It cannot be gainsaid that Kenyans are struggling with punitive taxes, unemployment crises, and a less-than-ideal business environment. It cannot be gainsaid that the most vulnerable Kenyans have experienced inhuman evictions with no viable alternative to their already precarious living arrangements.”
The ACK felt that in the current circumstances, “we should not simply fold our hands and pray for miracles.” However, it noted that it does not condemn the government or even criticize for the sake of it, but nonetheless demands transparency, greater accountability, time-bound plans, and urgent interventions in such services as especially medical care, which they say cannot wait.
“It is time the government realized that too much talk and open-ended promises will not do. The ancient wisdom still holds true that: “When the rulers are good, the people are happy. When the rulers are evil, the people complain,” (Proverbs 29:2),” the statement continued.
More to follow…