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‘Tone down rhetorics to avoid plunging country into chaos’ – Clerics plead with politicians

Sunday, February 5th, 2023 13:43 | By
Bishop David Munyiri Thagana, the secretary-general of the Federation of Evangelical and Indigenous Christian Churches of Kenya alongside other priests address journalists at GOA church in Murera, Juja. Photo/Mathew Ndung'u

In the wake of heated political exchanges in the country, clerics now want politicians to tone down rhetorics to avoid plunging the country into anarchy.

The bishops, reverends and pastors have called on leaders to exercise tolerance during their political gatherings to avoid dividing the country along tribal lines.

Led by bishop David Munyiri Thagana, the secretary-general of the Federation of Evangelical and Indigenous Christian Churches of Kenya, the priests noted with concern that the current rise of political intolerance and unnecessary trading of barbs among politicians could polarize the country if not tamed.

Thagana insisted that the country currently requires all forms of unity models having struggled economically for close to three years because of Covid-19, international pressures and prolonged drought.

“Stop speaking in public in a manner that would divide the people. Those kinds of statements we are hearing can be very divisive and can lead the country into difficult situations such as chaos,” regretted Thagana.

The bishop regretted that for politicians to continue displaying their dirty linen in the public, Kenya is set to scare hundreds of international and local investors who have been wishing to establish enterprises that would alleviate joblessness among the youth.

“We need not to scare away investors through petty politics that only raise the tension in the country. We have so many people seeking to establish businesses here in Kenya but are currently stepping on breaks due to uncertainties being caused by the political heat we are experiencing even after having conducted our elections last year,” stated Thagana.

Referring to sustained election disputes between opposition leaders against the Kenya Kwanza government, the clerics warned that the ongoing political rhetoric among leaders could be a replica of how the violence began in 2007/08 and urged leaders to advocate for peaceful coexistence to restore dignity for social-economic development.

Speaking during the graduation ceremony of Consistent Bible Reading (CBR) learners at Murera Glory Outreach Assembly (GOA) church in Juja, Kiambu County, the religious leaders urged disgruntled politicians to seek alternative dispute resolution mechanisms instead of trading words that could plunge Kenya into more economic downfalls.

On her part, reverend Phyllis Wangechi called on the political class to avoid stirring conflicts among the citizenry.

Wangechi told the jittery leaders to look for better avenues to solving their disputes and by all means, avoid causing unnecessary tension among Kenyans.

“Stop demeaning the peace that God has given us by stirring conflicts among Kenyans. We need to co-exist and in unity push for the betterment of our economy,” stated Wangechi.

The clerics at the same time urged the government to promptly intervene and alleviate the economic sufferings of Kenyans by lowering the high prices for basic commodities.

“It is important that the government thinks of strategic ways of alleviating the sufferings of the people by bringing the cost of living down to a manageable level. When the ruling government does this, it will deny the opposition a message on the high cost of living because when they speak that language, everyone hears it since it's true that Kenyans are suffering,” added Thagana.

They insisted that while the government has been pushing Kenyans to pay taxes, it also needs to be considerate that most people are yet to recover from harsh economic times.

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