Clerics have called on the Members of Parliament to be considerate of the cry of Kenyans in the wake of hard economic times.
Speaking in Bungoma on Friday they warned legislators against passing bills they said will destroy the hopes and livelihoods of the people.
The clerics under the umbrella of the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), they called on MPs to instead hear the cry of Kenyans and lessen the burden of taxation.
"Do not be insensitive to the people who are struggling to recover from the effects of Covid-19 and cycles of droughts and flood," NCCK Western Region chairman Seth Agala said.
They noted that over the last two months, the entire country has been focused on discussing the Finance Bill 2024 as well as the budget estimates presented to Parliament by the Treasury.
"The main concern in the discussions are the proposals for an increase of taxation of different commodities and services," Agala said.
"The proposals have increased the sense of exasperation and despair among the people who are already in mental anguish," he added.
NCCK elected officials in Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega and Vihiga counties have been holding a two-day induction workshop in Bungoma between June 13 and 14.
Besides an intensive discussion on the corporate plan, governance structure and history of the council, the leaders took time to assess the state of the nation.
They further called on the Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang'ula to facilitate the publishing of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report in a way accessible to all Kenyans.
They also want the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee to visit all the counties to receive feedback from the citizens on the report and proposed constitutional and legislative amendments, then use that feedback to fine-tune the process.
"It is important to note that the reforms proposed by the NADCO will radically change the electoral institutions and processes, as well as the structure of national government," Agala said.
"It is in essence an effort to amend the Constitution of Kenya without going through a procedural constitutional amendment process."
