Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)
9 October 2008
document
Nairobi — The full text of a statement issued by the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission of the Kenya Episcopal Conference on Thursday:
THE CURRENT CRY OF THE NATION
"The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor, he has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord." (Luke 4: 18-19).
Called to be witnesses of Christ in fulfilling the above stated mandate, we, the members of the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission, gathered for an Annual General Meeting (AGM) at Kolping Conference Centre, Langata, between 7th and 10th October, 2008, are highly concerned about the following issues that are currently affecting our nation:
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
It is with great pain to think that our own brothers and sisters are still refugees in their own country. The camps like those at Afraha Stadium in Nakuru, Eldoret showground in Eldoret, Kirathimo in Limuru and Naivasha among others are still staggering with people who are helplessly in need of assistance. Some tents are torn especially after the rain, food and health services are nowhere. A few who had been promised to return to their farms through "Operation Rudi Nyumbani" have been abandoned on the way, establishing fresh camps of returnees who joined those who returned to their ancestral villages hosted by relatives and good Samaritans.
Charged with the responsibility of paying special attention to the needs of internally displaced persons and returnees in our nation, we urge the government and relevant organizations to take steps and end the suffering of those Kenyans through people-centered, effective and efficient interventions.
The compensation promised and its implementation should be actualized with a human face.
Food Security
It is regrettable to note that there are people who are dying of hunger in our midst. Even those with money fail to get food to buy, because in the past three months the prices have sky-rocketed. A loaf of bread which cost 20 shillings is now 38 shillings. The price of a kilo of meat has doubled. Cereals like maize have become a rare commodity. Where do we go as a nation if we cannot feed ourselves?
On food, we do not need to bargain, it is a basic right for every human being. Let it be the government's agenda that every Kenyan has food to eat. Drastic measures ought to be taken to remove unnecessary taxation on essential commodities.
Pending Parliamentary Bills
Bills discussed in parliament are issues of great value to our nation. Those who discuss them are paid from the tax payer's money. It is disheartening to learn that some important bills are repeated at several parliamentary session without any conclusions reached. It is time to decide to be either in or out of these bills based on the common good of the tax payer. We insist on practical conclusions on the following bills:
-The Constitution of Kenya (amendment) Bill, 2008
-The Constitution of Kenya Review Bill, 2008
-The Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission Bill, 2008
-The National Ethnic and Race Relations Commission Bill, 2008
On this, we demand for full involvement of the people at all stages of the bill process. This can be achieved by the elected representative's engaging the electorate in continuous consultations.
Campaigns for 2012
Observing what happened right from the post election violence, we want to advise our elected representatives to focus on nation-building and avoid derailing tactics like 2012 elections campaigns that have started. This is the time to deliver the promises to the electorate, to heal, reconcile and reconstruct the nation.
Surely, with some people still displaced, there's no way you can ask them to elect you for years below the line. This is the time to mature as true democrats.
Commissions
We note that our country is famous for instituting commissions of inquiry on every case or problem that arises, without implementation of the recommendations generated thereafter. Surely this is a very poor way of spending public funds without giving visible results.
In recent times, there has been a series of commission's reports which demand implementation. We await a positive response so that we can forge a way forward.
Economic and Unemployment
Our economy has been hard hit to the extent that the salaries of low and average income earners can not match the expenses. The gap between the poor and the rich is continuously expanding. We request our economic experts to find ways of solving this puzzle.
It is common knowledge that in some areas, cash crops like tea, sugarcane and coffee are being uprooted. That is foreign exchange being lost and hence unemployment being created. Our parastatals, like Railways and Telkom among others, are privatized right and left without clear procedures.
We therefore call for any form of ownership be it public or private to respect the principle of common good with focus on the needy Kenyan citizens. The Kenya Bureau of Standards and Kenya Price Control Board should show that they are working. We cannot accept to be a nation of dumping counterfeit goods and drugs transit.
Corruption
For the past decade, we have been having the Kenya Anti Corruption Commission who are expected to spearhead the fight against corruption and bring forth tangible results. On the contrary, corruption is on the rise. Tax evasion, double registration of vehicles, selling of public property, corrupt tendering, procurement and disposal procedures are the stories of every day.
We may soon be forced to have another anti-anti corruption watchdog to square out the mess done by the Kenya anti corruption commission. It is high time that methods of formation of conscience are adopted to save our nation from further destruction.
Being at the service of each citizen, the state is the steward of people's resources which it must administer with a view to the common good. The excessive bureaucracy and corrupt ventures is contrary to this vision.
We therefore urge our political authority to prudently reclaim her place of being an effective and efficient instrument of coordination and direction by which the many individuals and intermediate bodies must move towards an order in which relationships, institutions and procedures are put at the service of integral human growth.
Insecurity
Our country is still bleeding from the vice of insecurity. News about violence and death of the innocent Kenyans, rape and defilement are deafening our ears. Cattle rustling and guns trade have become the order of the day.
The security forces seem to be overwhelmed by the turn of events. Even hard core criminals are back in the streets due to inadequate investigations causing more dangers. Can we surely live in this endless environment of insecurity?
We call upon our investigative arm of the government to take up their role more seriously and the general public to cooperate and give evidence when and where required.
Still on security, we call upon all stakeholders to thoroughly investigate the deportation to Ethiopia of our Muslim brothers suspected to have been terrorists. Any suspect deserves fair trial before condemnation.
Unrest in Schools
By the close of last term, over 300 (three hundred) schools had gone on strike and some structures burnt. We had thousands of students displaced, several maimed and even life lost. A sorry state indeed. Who is to blame this?
We realized that the cause has been stress as a result of too much academic load, tuition, drug abuse, lack of extra-curricula activities and a holiday-less system which denies the students an opportunity for holistic growth and development.
We call upon the families to instill the principles and values of life, self respect, respect for property and behavior change. Religious instruction should be re-channeled to the system of education system and society at large.
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