Catholic Bishops have called for dialogue between President William Ruto and opposition leader Raila Odinga in order to avert a crisis.
The Bishops, led by Anthony Muheria, addressed the media on Wednesday, pleading with President Ruto to keep his promise of sitting down and talking with his political rival to iron out issues.
At the same time, they urged Mr. Odinga to accept dialogue as a means of resolving the current standoff.
They also urged Raila loyalists, including Martha Karua and Kalonzo Musyoka, to abstain from the planned weekly protests.
Both leaders have remained steadfast since the last General Election, with Raila calling for bi-weekly protests to address a slew of issues ranging from high living costs to taxation and electoral fraud.
According to the Bishops, neither chest-thumping nor blame-shifting will solve Kenya’s problems.
“We plead and ask Ruto to follow through with his promise to sit with and listen to Raila and come out with reasonable proposals to address the main plights in our country specifically, high cost of living that needs urgent attention. We also invite Raila to accept dialogue for the good of our country,” the Bishops said.
“We believe that a sitting and dialogue can resolve this dangerous standoff. The two need to establish a common ground to address the ills facing the country and restore sanity we need in our country.”
The Bishops added that while Kenya is dealing with a number of issues, including unemployment, high taxation, and a ballooning public debt, protests will only exacerbate the situation.
According to the Bishops, Kenyans are frustrated by a slew of issues, and those in authority must offer peaceful solutions to ensure the country’s peace.
“It is not opportune to have demonstrations since such actions will not solve the problem or grievances cited,” Bishop Muheria said.
“The fact that it is legal to demonstrate should not make it a vehicle to paralyze the Country, nor degenerate to a forceful take over of a legitimate Government! We must allow ourselves to be guided by the law and not our own individual perspectives.”
