The Catholic Church Bishops has urged the Government to stop evicting Kariobangi North residents until after the Covid-19 crisis.
In a pastoral letter signed by all the 41 Bishops of Kenya and read by Embu Bishop Paul Kariuki Njiru, the Church said the prevailing circumstances cannot allow evictions.
“You are asking people to stay at home to avoid Covid-19 infection, yet you are flattening their houses. Stop this please”; the Bishops said.
Bishop Kariuki said the Government must resettle flood victims; feed the starving and rebuild a semblance of shelter for the vulnerable.
He was speaking at the Holy Family Basilica during a live Mass Celebration aired by the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation.
Kariuki said the Covid-19 pandemic is an eye-opener for all and appealed for tolerance, patience, calm, and love while dealing with it.
He said Catholic Bishops fully supported the handwashing measures 2-meter distance calls and staying at home guidelines issued by the Government.
“We fully support the Ministry of Health guidelines as Catholic Bishops. We call for patience in this time of uncertainty.” concluded the bishop.
The Kariobangi evictions, supervised by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation left thousands of families spending their nights out in the cold, with politicians pointing fingers at the government for completely neglecting the poor.
This led to violent protests on Friday May 8th, marred with looting and attack on personal vehicles that dared access the area.
