The Catholic Church has chastised the government for its failure to deal with religious extremism.
The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops has encouraged the government not to penalize all religions in the aftermath of the Shakahola massacre, in which more than 100 people were killed in the name of religion.
Conference Chairman Martin Kivuva expressed worry that the government had done too little, too late in response to the massacre.
Archbishop Kivuva stated it was illegal and terrible that over 100 individuals went missing and were eventually found dead, despite the government’s intelligence apparatus.
“Families lost their loved ones and some are unsure where their kin are. The government is not focused on them but is busy thinking of how to punish other churches,” said Kivuva during the ordination of Rt Rev Cleophas Oseso as the fourth Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Nakuru on Saturday.
According to the bishops, the Shakahola tragedy was criminal, and it was time for Kenyans to band together and support the families of those dead and missing.
Kivuva stated that it is the government’s responsibility to deal with those who use the pulpit to sacrifice, cheat, and steal from the congregation.
“It is past time for the government to punish those involved instead of beating around the bush by targeting innocent clergy, Imams, and churches,” he stated.
Instead, Kivuva urged the government to focus on fixing the economic hardship that has led to the Azimio coalition’s protests.
“We are going through challenging times, but we are the only ones who can build or destroy Kenya. We applaud the Kenya Kwanza and Azimio teams for embracing talks”.
