AFRICA/KENYA - The Bishops warn: "A Government that cannot protect its own people loses its legitimacy to govern"

Nairobi (Agenzia Fides) - "Kenyans are worried and desperate. The Government, which swore to protect Kenyans, seems hopelessly incapable of offering permanent solutions to perennial insecurity", said the Kenyan Bishops in a statement, sent to Agenzia Fides, published at the end of their Assermbly which ended on 8 May.
"We began our meeting as the sad news of the horrific slaughter of more than 50 Kenyans in the North Rift and other parts of the country, reached us" underline the Bishops, who remember that in the same area 42 members of the security forces were killed in November 2012 in an ambush by an armed group (see Fides 13/11/2012). "These killings come barely a month after we lost 148 young Kenyans in a terror attack at the Garissa University College (see Fides 08/04/2015). These murders including the deliberate targeting of Christians for execution are unacceptable".
"In the case of the North Rift, we have constantly warned that the conflict in the region is worsening, especially after the discovery of oil and other minerals. Hundreds if not thousands of lives have been lost in this perennial conflict that has erroneously been called ‘cattle rustling’". An alarm which was raised during the press conference of presentation of the declaration (see Fides 09/05/2015).
Faced with the situation of insecurity, the Bishops remind the government of its responsibility: "We will not relent in our call to Government to fulfil its constitutional mandate and protect all Kenyans. A Government that cannot protect its own people loses its legitimacy to govern".
The Bishops also denounced corruption "that is almost crippling not only our economy but the entire country", and called on the President to deal with cases of corruption in a fast, fair and definite manner. The document finally denounces the blind adoption of self-destructive ideologies that threaten the family. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 11/05/2015)