Nairobi — The wife of the Deputy President, Pastor Dorcas Rigathi, spoke in public for the first time about the Shakahola Horrors and Pastor Paul Mackenzie on Thursday in Nairobi.
Speaking during the launch of the 'Widows Feeding and Empowerment Program' under her office in Langata, Nairobi, Pastor Dorcas condemned the blanket condemnation of the Christian faithful in the country.
"We have more than three billion Christians in the world. You cannot condemn all Christians because of one criminal. A criminal is a criminal, alone, a terrorist is a terrorist, alone, and a murderer is a murderer. There is nothing like collective justice. We must not keep quiet as the blanket condemnation of Christians and the labeling of Christians as criminals goes on."
"Let us follow the law and the Constitution, which allow the freedom of worship, and not infringe on the rights and freedoms of others. Let us also allow the criminal justice system to deal with this issue, and if those involved are prosecuted, then we can know who is guilty and put them behind bars. But you cannot condemn every Christian," said Pastor Dorcas.
Just like President William Ruto, she compared the acts by Mackenzie to terrorism, saying, "When terrorism is carried out by a single terrorist, it would be unfair and wrong to give a blanket condemnation of all Muslims."
She also reminded the people gathered that Mackenzie had, on a media recording, shaken off the title of 'Pastor' and said he was a 'Mr'.
"Who is pushing Mackenzie to be a Pastor? He said he is a Mr., not a Pastor," she asked.
She deeply sympathized with the deceased and exhumed at the Shakahola Forest, including hundreds of families mourning their loved ones and others still searching for their children, mothers, fathers, wives, and husbands.
"The law must be fair to all religions and give direction on how to deal with criminals. The church is not a custodian of the criminal justice system, and the prosecution of cases should not be in the media or on social media," she added.
Pastor Dorcas also shared her life story, raised by a widow and growing up in Kiandutu slum in Thika, Kiambu County, including the struggles she faced through school and the lack of school fees, including a lack of basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing.
She encouraged the more than 300 widows gathered that they must not give up in life and that their children would become great despite the odds.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Pastor Dorcas shared her vision of dignifying the lives of widows, saying, 'a widow is not a beggar, but circumstances pushed her to widowhood'.
She has worked with widows for more than 10 years, dignifying their lives through different economic and social empowerment programs in Njoro, Kajiado, and other parts of Kenya.
The widows program under her office would be cascaded to other parts of Nairobi County and the country.
In addition, the widows would be involved in the Nairobi River Cleaning Program, the planting of tree seedlings, and other social, economic, and entrepreneurial activities to transform their lives.
"The government has a target of planting 15 billion trees, and this is an opportunity for even the widows to make money. If widows can grow 5 million trees and sell them for KSh10, they can become millionaires," said Pastor Dorcas.
She also expounded on her office's other programs, which include the rehabilitation of the boy child from drug and substance abuse.
The Office of the Spouse of the Deputy President is working on four pillars: the boy child, widows and orphans, chaplaincy and family values, and persons with disabilities.
