The government went overdrive on Thursday with a flurry of public statements as it sought to fend off a wave of criticism from the local Catholic clerics.
In a rare show of government-coordinated response, the government also deployed key parliamentary leaders and politicians to downplay concerns raised by the bishops.
Some politicians told off the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops claiming that the clergy never raised a finger during the regime of retired President Uhuru Kenyatta.
This is the first time since the last election that Catholic clerics have clashed with the government over what the bishops called an unprecedented culture of lies by the state and public officers.
“It seems that truth does not exist, and if it does, it is only what the government says,” they asserted, urging Kenyans to reject the lies perpetuated by politicians,’’ said Archbishop Maurice Makumba of Kisumu, who read the strongly worded statement on behalf of KCCB.
In a no-holds-barred statement on Thursday, the
Catholic Church warned that the country was heading in the wrong direction and
called for an end to the raging abductions allegedly by the state security agencies.
The bishops asked President William Ruto to end the
abductions which they alleged are being done by security agencies on
unprecedented scales.
President Ruto has previously denied that his government
is overseeing abductions and killings, insisting that he took the oath to protect
and defend the constitution which guarantees freedom to life.
On a day of heightened state and government
coordination, the Cabinet Secretaries for Education (Julius Migosi) and Health
(Debra Barasa) issued statements to clarify the clerics' claims.
In his response, Migosi denied the bishops' claims that the country’s education sector is in crisis and on the verge of collapse.
The CS said that the Education sector; particularly the Competency-Based Curriculum and higher education funding are working perfectly.
"The government has, therefore, taken proactive measures and invested heavily to ensure that the noble objectives of CBC are achieved through seamless implementation. This, therefore, can hardly be described as crumbling,” Migosi said.
The bishops had said the sector is in disarray as leaders ravel themselves in “selfish agenda, lies, unkept promises and misplaced priorities”.
CS Barasa refuted claims by the bishops that the government’s signature public health insurance, SHIF, is in tatters because faith-based organisations are owed billions.
In a statement on Thursday, Barasa termed the allegations "misleading, erroneous, and false," stressing the government's commitment to addressing outstanding debts from the defunct NHIF.
"We are fully committed to clearing the historical debts, and in the past month alone, we mobilised Sh7.58 billion to settle these arrears," she said, adding that Sh5.05 billion had already been disbursed to various health providers, including Sh938 million to faith-based facilities,’’ she said.
In a statement on Thursday, Barasa termed the allegations "misleading, erroneous, and false," stressing the government's commitment to addressing outstanding debts from the defunct NHIF.
National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah and his Senate Counterpart Aaron Cheruiyot went for the jugular, telling off the bishops on their criticism of the government.
The MPs have hit back at Catholic bishops for labelling them as corrupt and challenged the clerics to submit evidence against them to investigative agencies.
“Dear Catholic bishops, let us all be honest. If you have any information on corrupt legislators, please furnish information to investigative agencies or just name them and shame them,” Ichung’wah said.
The clergy had expressed deep concern that the Ruto administration has transformed Kenya into an “Orwellian dystopian authoritarian” state.
They argued that the truth is dictated by government officials and
dissent is met with intimidation, abduction, and even assassination.
They emphasized that their concerns stem from multiple unaddressed attempts to
engage with the government.
“We feel compelled to voice our grave concerns regarding
the troubling political climate that has gripped our country,” they stated.
In June this year, President Ruto hosted Kenyan Catholic bishops at State House, Nairobi, for what he said then was a conversation to come up with solutions to the country’s problems.
The delegation of the clergy was led by the KCCB Chairman Archbishop Maurice Muhatia.
“We welcome the commitment by the Catholic Church to participate in a multi-sectoral engagement that seeks solutions to the issues facing our country. Through this collective approach, we will move Kenya forward,” President Ruto said on June 28.
