Kirinyaga Women Representative Njeri Maina has come to the defence of Catholic Bishops and the clergy at large following attacks they received after criticizing the government on Thursday.
In a statement over the matter on Friday, the Woman Rep said the clergy should be spared from attacks saying they have the right to express themselves.
"When the church said that this government was God ordained, the same people now attacking it were happy," she said.
“Let them take the current criticism in good faith; the church has a right to express itself as per Articles 32 & 33 of the COK, 2010. Let them have their say without unwarranted political attacks,” she said.
The Catholic Church Thursday 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.
While acknowledging that the government can only raise its revenue through taxes, the bishops regretted that the citizenry are being overtaxed.
They also told the government to fulfill its promises especially on payments to essential service providers as it has continued to harm vulnerable communities.
They cited the neglect of faith-based hospitals which they said is now owed billions in dues by NHIF.
“This is an issue we have addressed constantly even with the president,” KCCB said.
The remarks by the Catholic bishops sparked massive reactions from Government officials and leaders affiliated with the regime who moved with speed to downplay the criticism from the clergy.
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.
