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The Church and Clergy Association of Kenya reiterates the contents of the press conference delivered on 26th June 2024. Following recent developments, including the concession by the President of the Republic of Kenya over the Finance Bill 2024 and the ruling by the High Court on the deployment of Kenya Defence Forces on Kenyan soil, we address the nation as follows:
“We sincerely thank you for the concession you made on 26th June 2024 by rejecting the Finance Bill 2024 in its entirety. You have indeed demonstrated your statesmanship and your desire to unite this country as a symbol of national unity. However, we note that the concession came late after the deaths and injuries of many young people, which further caused the destruction of millions of properties, including public institutions and private businesses. We urge you, going forward, to please listen to the people of Kenya so that such occurrences do not repeat in the future. It will be in the best interest of your government to listen to dissenting voices, which the church believes is the hallmark of a strong democracy.
We also continue to condemn police brutality and the widespread abductions and deaths perpetrated by the uniformed forces. We urge you to exercise restraint by directing the KDF and the National Police Service to desist from using force, teargas, live bullets, and to abide by the Court Order.
We also laud your efforts in calling for a youth engagement forum, which is geared to have a national dialogue with civil society, religious organizations, professional bodies, business community organizations, academia, student leadership, and others. We request you to expand the conversation to the young people of this nation who are clearly the majority in the current agitation.
To the youths, we once again congratulate you for rising to the occasion and fighting for your rights. The Church urges you to now come to the conversation table and allow for dialogue. As the Bible says, “Come let us reason together,” we request the youths to cease street demonstrations and engage the Government. The Church is concerned that the current demonstrations may have been infiltrated by goons and persons with ill intent, given the destruction and looting of property witnessed. In order to avert any further losses to the many hardworking men and women, we urge you to cease any further protests in the best interest of our country.
We also urge the youths to relent from unnecessarily attacking the church. The Church is a friend to all, especially the young people of this nation. The Church is a place of refuge and solace where everyone runs to and feels safe. We therefore request you to safeguard places of worship as sacred and holy. Further, we also urge the youths to refrain from attacking the Judiciary as this remains the lifeline of any democracy. We request you to refrain from undermining the Judges and Magistrates who have been placed to adjudicate over the affairs of this country.
To the Parliamentarians, we continue to remind you to exercise your donated mandate by the people in a manner that reflects the desires and wishes of your people. Kenya is bigger than all of us. Our youths and generations unborn depend on your honesty and fidelity to the Constitution and the people of Kenya. The Church shall continue to pray for you in this regard.
In conclusion, we affirm our support for dialogue between the Government and the youths. We pray that God will continue to guide all to peace, unity, and prosperity.
