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Bishops censure Kibaki over insecurity
By EMMANUEL ONYANGO
KENYA TIMES
21. April 2007
THE Government yesterday came under heavy criticism from the Catholic Church and a section of the political elite as giving cosmetic attention to the Mt Elgon killing fields and other clashes-hit regions in the country.
The church now want President Mwai Kibaki to take charge of the situation and end what they described as “aimless killings.”
The Kenya Episcopal Conference (KEC) was joined by the ODM-K presidential aspirant Musalia Mudavadi in condemning what they termed as ‘a too-late too little’ attention by the Government on the Mt Elgon conflict that had claimed about 200 lives and left tens of thousands displaced.
The Church registered its dismay at the killings in Mt Elgon and rebuked the Government’s intervention in the clashes as a last minute effort that only merit convenience.
The group was joined by Mudavadi, who termed the Government efforts as a public relations gimmick having overlooked the matter for over 10 months.
Speaking in Kisumu, the former vice-president accused the Government of intimidating the Opposition, yet could not offer security to its citizens.
He called on the Government to overhaul the entire Internal Security team in the bid to assure the citizens of their security ahead of the General Election, noting that many people were likely not vote due to insecurity.
The Church similarly derided the Government for its unilateral approach to the constitutional review process, terming the vice-president, Moody Awori’s assertion that the Government should control the process as “worrying.”
“Let us be frank - the whole saga (constitutional review) is worrying. What we are concerned with is the possibility of dialogue among all. This is not a matter for parliamentarians alone, it is the responsibility of all Kenyans,” the KEC, the church’s top organ, said yesterday.
The V-P has insisted on extending the Government’s numerical supremacy in Parliament to the review talks and also in the inclusion of Justice Minister Martha Karua as a co-chair of the talks.
The Episcopal Conference blamed of the situation in Mt. Elgon on Internal Security minister, John Michuki, and security agencies who they said had failed to contain the skirmishes.
“The authorities have been unable to contain the situation and do not seem to have a solution to the problem,” KEC chairman, John Njue, said at a media conference attended by 27 bishops.
“The Government, we believe, has the machinery to sort out the skirmishes. We hope the situation will be handled better than it has been handled so far,” Njue added.
The Church has consequently challenged the Government to deploy sufficient security in the affected areas and issue directives on the distribution of the contentious tracks of land.
“We urge the Government to be more assertive in providing security and disarming the Sabaot People Land Defence Force. It should also state what it wishes to be done with the available land,” Njue said.
He added: “It would be appreciated if the Government used as many agents of security a possible in adequate numbers and under commanding officers who would make an attempt at understanding the historical saga of the land in Mt Elgon.”
On Thursday, Michuki placed the Mt Elgon death toll at 84 with at least 10,000 people displaced. However, humanitarian agencies say more than 150 people have been killed in the inter-clan conflicts.
Lands Minister, Kivutha Kibwana, who accompanied Michuki in a tour to the area also cancelled the phase III of land allocations at the Chebyuk Settlement Scheme in attempt to avoid more skirmishes. So far, about 1,800 people had been allocated in the scheme from a pool of 7,000 applicants. But the criteria used for allocations the land appeared skewed and evoked tensions between Soy and Ndorobo clans.
The Catholic Church equally decried the insecurity that has hit parts of Tana River and Meru districts.
The bishops offered themselves to spearhead reconciliation efforts among the warring factions in Mt Elgon and Tana River districts.
“We, the Catholic bishops offer our good offices to mediate between the opposing clans on Mt Elgon and wherever the need arises in any part of the country. We do this without bias or precondition,” Njue stated.
The bishops spoke after deliberating on the rising levels of insecurity in the country at a two-day retreat at the St Thomas Aquinas Seminary.
Among those who attended the conference included archbishops Cornelius Korir, Ndingi Mwana a’Nzeki, Zacchaeus Okoth, Boniface Lele, Philip Sulumeti, Nicodemus Kirima, Peter Kairo, Paul Darmanin, Cornelius Korir, Joseph Mairura Okemwa, Philip Anyolo, Alfred Rotich and Maurice Crowley
Others were Norman Wambua King’oo, Peter Kihara, David Kamau Ng’ang’a and Anthony Ireri Mukobo, Patrick Harrington, Francis Baldacchino, Virgilio Pante, Salesius Mugambi, Cornelius Schilder, Luigi Paiaro, Emmanuel Okombo, Martin Kivuva Musonde, Anthony Muheria and Fr Paul
Healy.
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