NYANZA BISHOPS URGES KIBAKI TO STEP ASIDE
Posted by African Press International on January 15, 2008
By Leo Odera Omolo, Kisumu – KenyaBoth Catholic and the Anglican churches in Nyanza region have joined their fellow clerics in other Provinces in wholesale condemnation of the recently concluded, but much flawed Presidential election results.
THE Catholic Archbishop of Kisumu Diocese, the Most rev Zaccheous Okoth ,Bishop Francis Mwai Abiero of the Anglican Diocese of Maseno South and the chairman of the Ncck, Nyanza issue a strongly worded press statement in Kisumu, Saying that for the sake of justice, fairness and credibility, and in order to respect the tenets of democracy in Kenya and jealously guard the country’s young democracy, there should be a re-run of presidential elections.
Their joint statement was copied to the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs DR Jandayi Prazer, the US Ambassador to Kenya Michael Renneberger and the C.R.S Country Representative Ken MacLean stated that on December 27th 2007, the Kenya people voted peacefully.However, in the wake of the announcement of the flawed results of the presidential election, spontaneous violence erupted in various parts of the country from Mombasa to Busia, Mandera to Isebania owing to the following;-
1} The people of Kenyas eight Provinces of the country reacted angrily because they felt that their democratic rights and entire concept of democracy were being eroded with impunity. Through their ballot, the people of Kenya spoke loudly and clearly that they wanted change.
2) The admission of the ECK CHAIRMAN Samuel Kivuitu that he was under pressure and was not even sure whether Hon Mwai Kibaki was elected President did not help any matters, but only heightened tension in the country.
3} The press conference of the four ECK commissioners to the effect that there were massive irregularities regarding the presidential votes from Central and Eastern Provinces corroborated the suspicion of Kenyan people that the wrong candidate was sworn in illegally as the president of Kenya.
4} The matter has created a constitutional crisis in the country and it is this that led to the spontaneous political violence which the country has witnessed because the people of Kenya voted for change which was supposed to usher in a new constitution which the Kenya people have always yearned for as already shown in the Referendum voting of 2005.
5}In this context, the three Bishops said, the church is now called upon to play her prophetic role without any partiality because, as the founding father of this nation once told the Bishops of Amecea Region in 1978 In matter affecting our people, the church must be the conscience of society. In this political crisis therefore, the church is hereby called upon as non-partisan arbiter to the conscience of Kenyan society And clearly articulate what the Kenya people aspire and want without fear or favor
The Bishops went on the current violence that faces the country should not be reduced to ethnicity, and in particular, against the two most populous tribes, the Luos and Kikuyus. The two communities and the rest of the other 41 tribes have hitherto lived peacefully, exercising their democratic rights to vote every five years since 1963 when the countryu became independent. The democracy that the country has enjoyed so far has been built over periopd of time. Abraham Lincoln of America once described democracy;-
A government of the people by the people and for the people
The Kenyan people chose heir government on the27th December 2007, thereby determining how and wh0im they want to be governed…
The clerics say, it was obvious the Kenyan wanted a change in the government which they had mandated in 2003 to rule them. their decision must be respected if democracy is to be upheld.
The Bishops said the current President is sitting at the State House in his position illegally and the supposed swearing in which occurred in a hurry and in secret is therefore null and void abinito {from the start}.
A re-run of the presidential election, the Bishops said will be too expensive for the country and in particular the electorate with the voting places and so no need for a repeat. The problem lays in the doctored election results and subsequent illegal swearing in of the incumbent, they added.
The Bishops went on President Kibaki has no moral authority whatsoever to govern the country both in terms of democracy and constitutionally, for the right to vote is a constituitional provision. The way forward therefore is to restore democracy and confidence of the electorate in future electoral process, failure to do that; the subsequent elections will not be safe from blatant rigging as has been witnessed recently.
The clerics said the incumbent must step aside, respect and allow the democratic will and choice of the people {electorate} to prevail. To do otherwise is to rule by dictatorship since he has no legal or moral mandate of the electorate to govern them.
The Bishops added, finally, in case the above mentioned is still feasible then we believe that in order to solve the political impasse, the people of Kenya feel that for the sake of justice, fairness and credibility and in order to respect the tenets of democracy in our country and jealously guard our young democracy, there should bead re-run of the presidential elections.
Ends
Published by API/APN africanpress@chello.no
