AFRICA/KENYA - Bishops: “No to the petition to remove President Ruto from office; our name was included without consulting us”

Nairobi (Agenzia Fides) - “We distance ourselves from the petition to remove the president, from office.” This is the response of the Bishops of Kenya, through the words of Msgr. Maurice Muhatia Makumba, Archbishop of Kisumu, President of the Kenya Bishops’ Conference (KCCB), to the petition to remove President William Ruto from office. The petition was presented on July 25 by 14 signatories, and it included the KCCB as an interested party. The petition calls for a referendum to oust President Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua from office, accusing them of “gross violation of the Constitution, abuse of power, incompetent governance and irreversible loss of public trust and legitimacy.” “We distance ourselves from the petition currently before the high court to remove the president, from office because our name was included without consultation. We believe the ongoing crisis should be an opportunity to find a lasting solution through genuine dialogue,” Bishop Muhatia said in a statement released on July 27 on the occasion of the installation of Peter Makau as Coadjutor Bishop of Isiolo.
“The KCCB is commitment to deepening democracy through inclusive dialogue and multi-stakeholder engagement to address the current crisis confronting our nation. We therefore disassociate with the petition currently in high court to remove the president in office,” Bishop Muhatia reiterated.
The KCCB President expressed the bishops’ concern over possible operations to destabilize the country in this very delicate phase: “While the youth have been peaceful in their demands we are concerned about those taking advantage of these demonstrations to loot businesses and harm demonstrators we urge the security agencies to train these law breakers we must all uphold the rule of law and let there be justice for all the victims as we appeal for calm and peace in our nation.”
In recent months, demonstrations by young people (the so-called “generation Z”) have broken out in protest against the finance law presented by the Government, and subsequently withdrawn, which introduced new taxes (see Fides, 27/6/2024).
Despite the withdrawal of the finance law, the demonstrations have continued. The new generation wants to put an end to widespread corruption and poor governance that undermine young people’s chances of building a future for themselves. A demand that the Episcopal Conference shares in a document published on June 29 and read in all parishes (see Fides, 1/7/2024). Muhatia reiterated: “Young people have spoken loudly about the direction they want through social media and demonstrations, they have made it clear that we cannot continue doing things the same all day without the national leadership.” "We need to listen to the voices of the youth and of the nation but on the other hand, we appeal to the youth to embrace structured dialogue," concludes the President of the KCCB. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 29/7/2024)

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