Religious leaders threaten to lead Kenyans in civil disobedience

By Peter Ochieng

Religious leaders in Nyanza have threatened to lead Kenyans into civil disobedience that might lead to non-tax payment.

Addressing the press in Kisumu on Monday, the clergy said they will not just sit and watch as the national government degrades devolution through deliberately starving county governments of funds.

“This systematic degradation of our devolution must be resisted. For this reason, we may call Kenyans to exercise civil disobedience that might lead to refusal to pay taxes,” they said in a statement.

They wondered why counties are not being given funds, in the wake of an increase in revenue collection.

“It is a pity that as the revenue collection is rising, the government is deliberately starving the counties of funds as a calculated way to undermine the functionality of the county governments. Funds will never be enough to solve all our problems, however, equity in funds allocation is critical for a transparent and accountable system and must be adhered to.”

“When we pay taxes, we always have the need to access essential services. We are yet to hear of the staff at the State House going without salaries. We are yet to see the reduction in travelling cost of state officers,” they added.

Last week, Catholic Bishops under their umbrella – Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) in yet another hard-hitting statement accused President Ruto’s administration of ‘lies and unkept promises,’ demanding that he puts his house in order.

As if taking the cue from KCCB, the clergy in Nyanza, quoting Proverbs 29:2 which reads, “When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan,” said every leader is called to serve not to oppress his/her people.

“Good leadership is that which makes the poor thrive, the sick well, the weak gain strength, the outcast accommodated, the oppressed liberated. Wicked leadership is that which makes people shed tears instead of giving a smile, the sick die because they cannot afford the cost of treatment, the poor sink into oblivion because there is no hope for them, those from politically incorrect regions are punished because of their political decisions. This is the Kenya we have. This is the Kenya we do not want. This is the Kenya we must pray for.”

They urged President Ruto to address the lecturers’ strike, and the challenges bedevilling county funding, university funding and implementation of the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC).

The statement was signed by David Kodia, John Mark Godia, Charles Onginjo, Simon Onyango, Patrick Ligawa, Betty Onyango, Winnie Owiti and Clement Otieno.