The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) has criticised President William Ruto’s administration over allegations of rampant corruption, over-taxation, and unkept promises.
Addressing the press in Ruaraka Sub-County, Nairobi County on Thursday, November 14, the bishops accused the government of failing to heed its initial promise of repaying the debt owed by the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to faith-based organisations.
In their statement, the church leaders also faulted the government’s decision to hike the missionary work permit. According to them, despite efforts to contact the president over the issue, the Head of State was yet to intervene.
The bishops also took a swipe at the Kenya Kwanza administration over its reluctance to constitute the Independence Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) despite several calls by different stakeholders over the same.
During the presser, the bishops similarly lamented over the agenda to extend the term limit of the president from five years to seven years. According to them, there were plans to rush the bill through Parliament for approval.
“We recall the pertinent issues we have raised recently with the government over taxation of Kenyans, the hiking of the missionary work permits, youth unemployment, and regulations of the education system including the Competency Bed Curriculum (CBC) and the education funding,” noted the bishops.
“This culture of lies, unkept promises, and misplaced priorities is unacceptable and needs to be dealt with. We believe that genuine consultations of all concerned stakeholders is necessary beyond the casualty public participation,” the statement added.
While addressing journalists, KCCB also criticised the government over the violation of human rights such as denial of the freedom of speech. According to the bishops, they were shocked by the government’s failure to resolve the recurrent cases of abductions forced disappearances, and extra-judicial killings.
The church leaders further noted that the decision by the government to remain silent on cases of abductions and murder particularly of young girls and women resulted in great consternation, anger, and disgust among Kenyans.
“Many families are grappling with the loss of their children who were brutally killed and went missing following what is referred to as the Gen Z demonstrations in June 2024. Many of them had raised concerns about rampant corruption, who is behind these abductions?” the bishops noted.
To resolve the menace, the catholic bishops advised President Ruto's administration to put into good use the collected revenue and put in place austerity measures to avoid over-expenditure.
"We thank God for holding our country together, despite the social and political upheavals. We pray that our leaders guided by the values of justice, mercy, humility, selflessness and honesty provide good leadership and governance to our nation," the bishops stated. By
