Catholic Bishops call on Uhuru, Raila to save Kenya

Bishop Philip Anyolo of Homa Bay Catholic Diocese addresses faithful at Kiteere Catholic Church in Rongo last year. [Stanley Ongwae, Standard]

 

The clergy have called on President Uhuru Kenyatta to be a symbol of national unity and save the country from sinking into a political abyss.

The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) also called on National Super Alliance (NASA) leader Raila Odinga to be at the forefront of preaching peace to avert a political crisis ahead of the October 26 repeat presidential election.

The bishops who are attending a conference in Nairobi warned yesterday that if political leaders do not hold talks to find a common ground over the polls, the country risks sliding into anarchy.

“We call upon President Uhuru to emerge as a symbol of national unity and offer the needed leadership at this point in time,” said KCCB Chairman Bishop Philip Anyolo.

He said religious leaders were concerned with what is happening in the country following the Supreme Court’s nullification of Uhuru’s win on August 8.

“We are deeply concerned with the state of our nation and we urgently need our leaders to address these issues to secure the country,” said Bishop Anyolo after meeting with Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Wafula Chebukati.

“IEBC have told us they have challenges but only dialogue will solve our problems.

“We call upon Jubilee and NASA to urgently agree to IEBC’s invitation to dialogue and chart the way forward with the aim of holding free, fair and credible repeat presidential election,” Anyolo said.

Bishop Alfred Rotich who heads the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (CJPC) said they had held talks with Uhuru and Raila over the current political situation.

“We have talked to the President and written a letter to NASA.

“It is unfortunate that both are at opposite ends of the campaigns and their messages continue to polarise the country. They need to build bridges and save Kenya from burning,” Rotich said.

They said the proposed meeting for dialogue should be an opportunity to address issues surrounding the repeat poll.