Respect bipartisan talks, bishops warn

From left: Bishops John Oballa (Ngong) and Cleophas Oseso (Nakuru) receive offerings from the faithful in Morendat, Naivasha. [Antony Gitonga, Standard]

The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) has warned that double talk and mockery around the bipartisan talks by top politicians could plunge the country back to chaos.

 The bishops also warned over runaway graft, impunity, cases of extra-judicial killings and failure to respect the Constitution 13 years since it was promulgated.

 They were speaking during the 23rd anniversary of the murder of Father John Antony Kaiser whose body was found at Morendat, Naivasha.

 Two decades down the line, the killers have never been arrested despite an inquiry in 2002 declaring that the outspoken cleric was murdered and the body dumped by the roadside.

 They took issue with the high cost of living and unfulfilled promises.

 According to the chair Bishop John Oballa, the rising cases of graft and land grabbing by senior officials Bishop Cleophas Oseso has become the order of the day and is worrying.

 The Ngong Diocese bishop said the church would not remain quiet as things go wrong, adding the government has failed on the issues of leadership and integrity.

 On Kaiser, Oballa took issue with the past and present governments for failing to arrest and prosecute those who killed the Mill-Hill Father.

 “We shall not rest until the killers of Kaiser are brought to book as we mourn and laud the work of tens of people killed for protecting the poor and the marginalised,” he said.

 On his part, Nakuru Bishop Cleophas Oseso noted that President Wiliam Ruto is yet to fulfil his pledge on the cost of living.

 “We were promised that the cost of living would come down once the Bible was put down but this has not materialised and we fear chaos if the bipartisan talks are ignored,” he said.