The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) has called for the resignation of three Cabinet Secretaries for different reasons.
Speaking on Wednesday, April 3 NCCK Nairobi region chairperson Dr Alphonse Kanga asked Health CS Susan Nakhumicha to resign for her failure to stop the ongoing strike by medical officers.
He said patients are suffering in public hospitals due to lack of services hence the CS should leave office.
“If I was the minister of health by this time either if one person dies in some countries because there is something wrong it is either she fixes it or steps out it is simple,” Dr Kanga said.
“It is not the people of my caliber who are suffering, a Bishop can afford to go to Aga Khan Hospital but the grandmother in the village cannot afford so we want to see the president talk about it, solve this problem and let people live well in this nation.”
In a separate statement sent to media houses, the Council expressed dissatisfaction with the manner in which the national and county governments are handling the strikes.
NCCK said officials who are able to pay for their medical care should not neglect and destroy the public healthcare system.
“May the warning in Proverbs 21: 13 always ring in the ears of all the officials who are involved in this crisis,” read the statement in part.
NCCK Calls Goes for Linturi
The Council has also called for the resignation of Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi and his Transport counterpart Kipchumba Murkomen.
NCCK want the two CS’s to resign following the fake fertilizer scandal and the increased road accidents in recent months.
Kanga said Linturi has failed to identify and punish individuals involved in the fake fertilizer adding that he was instead protecting them.
“The fertilizer was distributed with the systems that exist they have the accountability; they know the storekeepers they have the lorries that transported. The ministry of agriculture should come and tell us this happened and either so and so has been sacked or he himself he has stepped down,” he said.
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In the statement, NCCK wondered how the fake fertilizer scandal was committed in full glare of the government, security agencies, and quality control agencies.
The Council was troubled by the revelation that the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) was used to distribute the fake fertilizer to farmers.
“We are genuinely shocked that the heads of NCPB, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) and Ministry of Agriculture have not stepped aside for exposing the nation to such a tragedy,” read the statement.
“We call upon President William Ruto to redeem the moral authority of the government by ensuring speedy and judicious punishment of all involved in the scandal.”
Why Murkomen Should Resign
Kanga further said CS Murkomen should step up in light of the increased incidents of road accidents in the country.
Reports indicate that more than 1,000 people had died by late March an increase compared to the previous years.
“The rate of accidents in Kenya can be measured with the rate of corruption in this country. We must have consolidated efforts with the police and NTSA and everybody else who is concerned because for those vehicles to do what they are doing right now it only means that things have gone out of hand,” Kanga explained.
Also Read: Fresh Headache for Nakhumicha as 3 More Unions Issue Strike Notice
Demands on Taxation & Business
The Council also pleaded with President William Ruto and the governors to reduce the level of taxation.
NCCK explained that the high taxes are having a very high toll on the citizenry and is killing productivity.
” If you remain insensitive to the suffering of the people, your leadership will be rejected, and the nation could break apart,” read the statement.
County governments have also been urged to provide favorable business environments by consolidating and rationalizing all the fees, levies and licenses required by different agencies and authorities.
The Council advised counties to make starting and running a business easy since higher the number of enterprises translates to a higher income for the county governments.
