National Council of Churches of Kenya urges President Uhuru Kenyatta to sack those implicated in graft

Kenya: NCCK has decried rising cases of corruption in Kenya and urged President Uhuru to remove from office those implicated in graft.

The body also asked the courts to facilitate speedy prosecution of those mentioned in graft scandals.

Here is their full statement

SLAY THE CORRUPTION DRAGON OR ELSE WE PERISH

The Executive Committee of the National Council of Churches of Kenya has met here at Jumuia Conference and Country Home, Limuru, for a two day meeting to transact formal business and discuss matters of national concern. We took time to discuss and reflect on the scripture recorded in Deuteronomy 17: 14 – 20, in which God gave instructions for kings and leaders of the people.

The instructions included that leaders were to constantly read the law of God, and to avoid amassing wealth or women or to lead people on the path of sin.

State of the Nation

It is therefore a moment of sorrow for us to realize that our nation of Kenya has been in a downward spiral as our leaders follow the same pattern as Solomon in the Bible, who failed to follow God’s guidelines and therefore his government eventually collapsed. Each of the four presidents that Kenya has had assumed office with an air of euphoria and great expectations.

However, they soon turn their attention away from the laws of God and the laws of Kenya and allow themselves to be imprisoned by ethnic and market interests as well as the pervasive and chronically corrupt civil service.

It is a sad reality that the current government appears to follow the same script and as a result, the despondency of Kenyans is only worsening.

Having considered these matters, we wish to share the following message with our dear fellow Kenyans.

Punish Corruption

The Bible in Ecclesiastes 7: 7 warns that “Extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart”. This is the reality that is emerging in Kenya. Over the decades, our public officials have made it a culture to demand for bribes, and this has corrupted their hearts.

Corruption is today not an activity but a deeply embedded culture that is going beyond the theft of money and the resultant poor governance. It is now manifesting itself in the blatant disregard of the law by the state organs, officers and the general citizenry. We wish to warn all that if we do not as a country turn away from this path, this nation will perish.

We are especially perturbed that corruption has been devolved to the counties, as a result of which Kenyans are still no better off than before.

Every Kenyan must work to destroy the culture of corruption, always remembering the warning of the Bible in Ecclesiastes 8: 11 – “When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong”.

Message to the President

Recognizing that God has placed great responsibility on the leader of a nation, we urge you to remove from your office and government those who have been implicated in corruption and also facilitate their speedy prosecution. The warning in the Bible is very clear that a government built on corruption will not stand, as we read in Psalms 94: 20 – “Can a corrupt throne be allied with you – one that brings on misery by its decrees?”

We appreciate your public denunciations and warnings on corruption but unlike every other Kenyan, you are elected and provided with all the instruments you need to carry out your mandate.

We desire to see your decisive actions more than your pronouncements on corruption.

In all the countries where corruption has been reigned in, it has taken the decisive action by the legislative organs and law enforcement agencies to make corruption expensive, and the heads of state were the critical players in this endeavor. Your Excellency, if you cannot slay the dragon of corruption, Kenyans will not find a reason for you to continue to be their president.

Message to the Judiciary

Further, we have a growing trepidation that the Judiciary has become the safe haven for all the corrupt individuals and companies. The courts have over and over been used by the rich people, regardless of their crimes, to delay the course of justice.

We challenge the entire judiciary and especially the Chief Justice to remember that the Constitution of Kenya has freed the judiciary from the manipulation and intimidation from the Executive.

Kenyans are surprised that instead of using the independence and facilitation provided by the constitution to serve the cause of justice, judiciary is being crippled by corruption. The admission and attendant warnings by the Chief Justice on corruption within the organ do not inspire but rather worry Kenyans.

We urge you to carry out your mandate without fear or favour, always keeping in mind the words recorded in Deuteronomy 16: 19 – “Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous”.

Moral Decadence

This Executive Committee is concerned that today, our nation is awash with reports of how our leaders seem to be in a competition to amass the highest number of concubines and explicit adultery and fornication.

This moral corruption is worrying noting that it has spread to all corners of our society.

We are especially perturbed by the reports implicating Parliamentarians in corruption and immorality that have given Kenya a very bad image locally and internationally. This Executive Committee calls upon all Members of Parliament to behave with decorum and uphold the dignity of the offices they hold.

We also advise all Kenyans to take a keen note of the character of individual Members of Parliament and shun them during the following elections on the grounds of morality.

We call upon the Director of Public Prosecutions to take cases of sexual and gender based violence seriously and ensure they are prosecuted speedily. No one should be given the opportunity to defeat justice by deliberately creating technicalities that delay such cases.

In addition, we recommend that the relevant constitutional commissions put in place laws that are meant to keep sex predators and adventurers from elective and community leadership.

On our part, we in the church will continue to and actually intensify our efforts to teach all people to obey the word of God, which warns against such practices.

Roadmap to the General Elections

To sustain our democracy, Kenyans periodically hold elections to elect leaders of their choice. This constitutional right and duty must be safeguarded at all times. However, past experiences have shown that elections can also be a very dangerous moment for our nation. It is therefore very important that adequate and transparent preparations are made so that the nation is ready way ahead of the 2017 general elections.

In this regard, this Executive Committee notes the following two issues of concern as the country prepares for the 2017 General Elections:

a) Elections Date

Whereas the constitution stipulates that the general elections would be held on the first

Tuesday of August of the fifth year, we note that there have been ongoing debates on the suitability of this date based on logistical and legal concerns. We urge the Commission for Implementation of the Constitution to facilitate wide consultations on this matter so that an agreement is reached as soon as possible to facilitate adequate preparations. It may be prudent to seek an interpretation in court in this matter.

b) Two Thirds Gender Rule

This Executive Committee notes with concern that though the advisory by the court was that the two thirds gender rule be implemented before the next elections, little has been done in this regard.

We recognize that without a proper legal mechanism in place, the legality of the next elections will be questioned. We therefore call upon the National Gender and Equality Commission to work with the Commission for Implementation of the Constitution, Parliament and other stakeholders to facilitate national consultations aimed at putting in place a mechanism to implement this rule.

8. Climate Change

The evidence of climate change is being manifested by unprecedented prolonged droughts and devastating floods. We appreciate the interventions by different actors, but note that Kenyans cannot be forced to live on relief aid forever. For this reason, this Executive Committee commends the National Assembly for passing the Climate Change Bill 2014.

The Bill is designed to create a system through which the country will adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change. We therefore urge His Excellency to sign the Bill into law and to facilitate its speedy implementation for the welfare of all Kenyans.

On their part, we encourage all Kenyans to take personal responsibility for caring for

the environment and building their disaster preparedness capacities.

9. Conclusion

We conclude by thanking all Kenyans for maintaining peace and working hard in their individual endeavours. The rating that Kenyans are the second-most happiest people in Africa is a positive one.

As such, let us celebrate the many good things happening in our country even as we point out those that go wrong around us.

It is our prayer that God will bless us all now and at all times.

Signed on this 26th day of March 2015 at Jumuia Conference and Country Home, Limuru.

 

Rev Canon Rosemary Mbogo

CHAIRPERSON

Rev Canon Peter Karanja

GENERAL SECRETARY