Catholic Church calls for a lasting solution to Sondu conflicts

Nakuru,

Tuesday, October 17 2023,

KNA by Esther Mwangi

The Catholic Church has condemned perennial skirmishes in Sondu on the Kericho-Kisumu border and called on relevant State agencies and political leaders to work together to put a deterrence mechanism in place to ensure that the violence does not recur.

In a statement issued by Bishop Cleophas Oseso Tuka of the Catholic Diocese of Nakuru, the Church pointed out that the biggest selling point for Kenya as a nation was the diversity of its people, who, together, make the country what it is, adding that any person, group or outfit that goes against the spirit of Kenya’s Constitution should be met with the full force of the law.

Bishop Tuka challenged Governor Dr Erick Mutai of Kericho and his Kisumu Counterpart Professor Anyang Nyong’o to be on the forefront in working out strategies towards averting future skirmishes and avoid pronouncements or actions that may be perceived to be stoking ethnic differences.

More than 10 people were killed with several others sustaining serious injuries before the clashes which began on July 12 were contained by security agencies three weeks ago.

Bishop Tuka issued the statement at St Mary’s School in Nakuru when the Church led prayers for the country’s this year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE), Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) candidates.

Data from Kenya National Examination Council (Knec) shows some more than 1.2 million students will sit the KPSEA while another 1.4 million will take the KCPE exam and 903,260 to take the KCSE exam countrywide. This will be the last KCPE examination under the 8-4-4 education system.

The Catholic Church called upon residents of the two counties to exercise tolerance and use the right channels to air their grievances in addition to enhancing peaceful coexistence and rejecting politicians and their agents out to incite them.

“We are calling upon political leadership of both Kisumu and Kericho counties to appeal to their followers to cease perennial hostilities,” Bishop Tuka added.

He also called on the Ministry of Interior and National Administration to enhance security to avert loss of more lives and destruction of property.

While noting that it was the duty of security agencies, political figures and religious leaders to ensure that the right to life was protected, Bishop Tuka said any persons with disputes, genuine or not, should be given an opportunity to speak out freely on condition that no one perpetuates violence.

“Kenyan leaders are mature enough to resolve their differences through dialogue. There is, therefore, no place for ethnic violence now or any time in the future. We are urging all leaders and administrators to work together with the residents so as to find a lasting solution that will guarantee permanent peace and normalcy in the area,” Bishop Tuka added.

He said that the security arms of the government should not allow anybody regardless of social status to give lame excuses on why the violence occurs.

“Whatever justification anybody may give, the government should not tolerate anybody who perpetrates the criminal act. They must face the full force of the law,” Bishop Tuka said.

He called on the government to ensure that both students and teachers countrywide are safe during this critical period.

Saying that the candidates needed a conducive, peaceful environment to address themselves fully to the task at hand, which is performing well in the exams, the Bishop said it was impossible to achieve success in exams if acts of violence persisted in the areas.

The clergy petitioned both the government and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) to embrace dialogue and not engage in any activity that may disrupt the marking of the forthcoming examinations.

KUPPET has urged national exam markers to unite and boycott marking of examinations for improved terms and better pay.

However, Bishop Tuka cautioned that such a move being fronted by Kuppet would create chaos in the educational system adding that Education is key to children and that includes even marking of the exams.

 “The government and the union should dialogue to avert disruption of the exercise. They should not put the lives of the pupils and students in jeopardy,” said Bishop Tuka.

He said the threat to boycott marking of examination would irreparably destroy the lives of class eight and form four students who had respectively invested eight and four years in preparing themselves for higher education and career aspirations.

Courtesy; KNA