Njue leads bishops to State House for talks with Kibaki

By Martin Mutua

Two weeks after religious leaders criticised President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga in public, John Cardinal Njue led Catholic bishops to State House.

Njue is reported to have distanced himself from attacks by the religious leaders during a fundraising for Nakumatt and Molo fire victims.

Ironically, Njue’s assistant in Nairobi, Bishop David Kamau, was among the religious leaders who attended the funds drive at KICC, Nairobi.

Yesterday, Supkem Chairman Abdulgafar El Busaidy and Anglican Church Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi stood by their statement.

Busaidy said the Inter-Religious Forum, which brings together all religious leaders including, those of the Kenya Episcopal Conference, agreed on the statement.

Nzimbi said: "We finished our part as the religious leaders and our statement was clear."

Njue led four bishops to meet Kibaki. Their discussion remains unclear but a dispatch from PPS said the President outlined various steps the Government was taking to deal with national challenges.

The President is said to have updated the clerics on the steps the Government was taking to ensure adequate food.

Those who attended the meeting were Archbishops Zacchaeus Okoth of Kisumu, Boniface Lele of Mombasa, Peter Kairo of Nyeri, Bishop Martin Kivuva of Machakos and Kenya Episcopal Conference Secretary General Father Vincent Wambugu.