Several government institutions issued statements on the evening of Thursday, November 15, rebutting remarks by Catholic bishops, who called out the state for perpetuating the culture of lies.
The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) on November 14 raised various concerns including the heightened corruption, the rampant abductions, the political rifts, the unfulfilled promises and the various shortcomings in the new Health Authority.
Led by Senate Majority leader, Aaron Cheuriyot dismissed claims that a constitutional amendment is being considered and rushed through parliament and urged the clergy to avoid being purveyors of propaganda, fake news, and falsehoods.
“My attention has been drawn to the statement issued by Catholic Church Bishops alleging that a constitutional amendment bill is being considered and rushed through parliament. The bill in question was presented by the Senator of Nandi, Samson Cherargei, himself a devout Catholic faithful.
Catholic Bishops receive backlash from Govt after issuing statement
For the record this was a privately sponsored bill. The Majority Party UDA dissociated itself with it and urged its members not to support it,” Cheuriyot said.
Further, he called on the Church to refrain from becoming involved in efforts to undermine government institutions by spreading misinformation.
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Elsewhere, the Cabinet Secretary of Education, Julius Ogamba responded to the bishops’ claims that the current Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) is “crumbling” while there are unresolved issues on the “university loan scheme”.
Ogamba said the Government has taken proactive measures and invested heavily by constructing 16,000 classrooms required for Grade 9 which is at an advanced stage.
Education CS responds to religious clerics
Additionally, the Government has allocated a total of Ksh. 17.6 Billion for the completion of these classrooms by December 2024 to ensure that the noble objectives of CBC are achieved through seamless implementation. This, therefore, can hardly be described as “crumbling”.
On the new university funding model, Ogamba said that the Model has eased the financial burden in universities, which had been indebted to the tune of Ksh. 70 Billion, with many technically insolvent.
The Ministry of Health also issued a statement also rebutting the catholic clerics statement especially, matters on NHIF debts.
According to Health CS Deborah Barasa, the government mobilized Ksh7.58 billion to address the country’s health facilities historical debts which the Social Health Authority (SHA) has already disbursed Ksh5.05 billion to various healthcare providers.
Dr. Barasa added that faith-based institutions, a significant number of which are run by the Catholic Church, received Ksh938.6 million as part of these disbursements.
Additionally, the Ministry pointed out that faith-based organizations manage 312 facilities, making up 3.5% of the 8,886 providers previously contracted under the NHIF system. The Ministry assured church leaders that the remaining KSh2.5 billion will be distributed by next week.
Police IG on abductions and femicide
On the other hand, the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, also responded to the Catholic clerics, specifically addressing concerns over increased abductions, torture, and killings in the country.
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Kanja stated that 57 cases of missing persons have been reported since the protests against the Finance Bill 2024, with 22 individuals found alive, 6 found deceased, and 29 still unaccounted for. Police are making serious efforts to trace those who remain missing.
Regarding deaths in which police officers were implicated, Kanja noted that these cases have been taken over by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), and he is collaborating with both IPOA and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on these investigations.
He further mentioned that cases of abductions are being investigated by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, and he and his officers are making good progress in this area.
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