The Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) on Monday, November 18, refuted claims that made rounds on social media stating that the church was opposed to the Catholic bishops over the government’s failure.
In a statement delivered by the ACK Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit, the church maintained that it supported its Catholic counterparts in calling out the government over the failures and false promises that it had given to Kenyans.
''We the ACK fully support the catholic bishops' statement to the nation. We believe that the government has yet to turn around the country and steer it in the right direction. Calling church leaders names or dismissing the bishops' statement as "misleading, erroneous and false" is itself dishonest,'' he added.
The Archbishop further challenged the executive, with President William Ruto at its apex, to cease too much talk and embark on delivering their promises.
''It is time the government realized that too much talk and open-ended promises will not do. The ancient wisdom still holds true: "When the rulers are good, the people are happy. When the rulers are evil, the people complain," (Proverbs 29:2),'' Sapit stated.
"We, nevertheless, demand transparency, greater accountability, time-bound plans, and urgent interventions in such services as especially medical care, which cannot wait. It is time the government realized that too much talk and open-ended promises will not do," he added.
According to the archbishop, the Catholic Bishops painted the actual picture of the problems facing Kenyans even as the government dismissed the position.
He added that there would be no amount of intimidation from the government that would make the church divert its attention from speaking on the real issues that Kenyans are grappling with.
''The bishops have spoken the minds of Kenyans and faithfully expressed the truth as things are on the ground. No amount of attacks or intimidation will deter the church from calling out evil and speaking the truth to power,’’ Sapit added.
Meanwhile, the archbishop asked the political class and those in government to listen to the people instead of focusing on attacking the religious groups.
Additionally, the Anglican Church head urged those in government to focus on service delivery to better the lives of citizens.
''Let the political class and those in government come down from their high horses, listen for once, rather than seemingly perpetuate the commonplace culture of impunity. The governed do not need lectures but services and honest engagement. Please concentrate on providing leadership in a meaningful way and first tackling the myriad of problems that is bedevilling the country,'' he maintained.
Sapit who was once viewed as a close ally of the current regime, has lately been on a turnaround, especially on issues around governance and society where he has come out to castigate the government.
