The Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya, Jackson Ole Sapit, has criticised President William Ruto's administration, accusing it of deep-rooted corruption.
Sapit, while addressing the press on Thursday afternoon at the All Saints Cathedral church in Nairobi, demanded the immediate resignation of government officials linked to corruption.
He also called for the strengthening of the already existing independence of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and to enhance its collaboration with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution to expedite corruption cases.
"The government officers mentioned in corruption cases must resign or step aside until their cases are investigated and determined. This will show the seriousness with which the government handles corruption cases," Sapit stated.
During the presser, the bishop also raised concern over the surging level of unemployment in the country, which he claimed created a sense of despair among the young generation.
According to Sapit, the high level of joblessness was directly linked to the rising crime rates in the country, adding that if not tamed, it could have severe consequences on the country's overall security.
He went ahead to hit out at the government's empowerment projects, terming them discriminatory and ones that do not spur confidence in the way public funds are used.
"We demand that the government consider a workable plan to stimulate and spur the economy, aside from the empowerment programmes," the archbishop demanded.
He further took issue with calls for the amendment of the Constitution to increase the term limit of the President and legislators from five years to seven years.
While comparing Kenya's Presidential term limit to that of the United States, which is 4 years, Sapit described the alleged plans for Constitutional amendment as unconstitutional and unacceptable.
The archbishop also called on the government to immediately address the challenges in the Social Health Authority (SHA), which resulted in the withdrawal of services by the private hospitals.
According to Sapit, the lives of many Kenyans were at risk following the withdrawal of services by the private hospitals over non-payment of the pending arrears by the government.
"Whereas we appreciate health sector reforms, we note the challenges that both SHIF and SHA continue to face. We note with great concern the suspension of services by private hospitals because of non-payment of SHA," the bishop affirmed.
