NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 17 – Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has warned President William Ruto’s allies who have criticized the Catholic Bishop for their ‘hard-hitting’ statement on the conduct of the government.
During a church service in Kajiado North Constituency, Gachagua singled out National Assembly Deputy Speaker Gladys Shollei for disrespecting the Catholic Bishop insisted that the leaders were preparing for an ultimate downfall.
“I saw the Deputy Speaker lecturing the Catholic Bishop as children. I want to tell the leaders to stop showing pride…Those who have been in this country politics know. That ego and pride you have is what was witnessed in the 90s during the Moi regime of insulting bishop and we know what the consequences were,” he said.
Gachagua expressed his disappointment calling on politicians to exercise caution and avoid engaging in actions or rhetoric that undermine the role of the church in calling out the government when it’s on the wrong.
“You might view yourself as powerful and having a lot of authority that you are disrespecting the clergy. Be very careful, the history might repeat itself. That culture of intolerance and abuse to spiritual leaders was there in the last years of President Moi regime,” the Former DP said.
“If they are people who know what the ground is saying is our church leaders and when you hear our leaders say anything we must listen and respect them,” Gachagua added.
On the other hand, Gachagua lauded President William Ruto for his willingness to engage with the Catholic Church emphasizing the importance of maintaining open dialogue between the government and religious institutions.
“I am happy that our President acknowledged the issues raised by the Catholic and he committed to listen and address their issues. That is the way to go,” he remarked.
He stressed the need for government leaders to embrace constructive criticism from the Church, viewing it as a form of guidance rather than confrontation. Gachagua urged politicians to prioritize dialogue and cooperation over conflict.
“Let’s be humble and allow our church leaders to chastise us in love to correct us where we are in wrong. Lets dialogue with them and accord respect to our church leaders,” Gachagua urged.
This comes amidst sharp criticism by catholic bishops’ lobby who accused the Kenya Kwanza regime of perpetuating “a culture of lies” and using the State machinery to silence critics.
The Chairman of Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), Archbishop Maurice Muhatia, on Thursday led the bishops in calling out the government for failing to keep its election pledges, failing to listen to cries of ordinary people, and clawing back on Kenya’s democratic gains.
The church leaders openly criticised Ruto and his entire leadership, with Archbishop Muhatia saying a huge number of Kenyans no longer trust the government they voted in two years ago.
“The culture of lies is swiftly replacing the integrity and respect that Kenyans deserve. Basically, it seems that truth does not exist, and if it does, it is only what the government says,” Archibishop Muhatia said.
“Unfortunately, it seems that the Kenyans have helplessly tolerated the lies told to them constantly by the politicians. Kenyans must learn not to applaud or validate the lies that the politicians tell them, but rather must resolve to seek and be led by the truth.”
Source: capitalfm
