ACK endorses Catholic bishops' statement on Ruto administration

The Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) is voicing its support for the Roman Catholic Church in criticising President William Ruto’s administration.

This follows the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB)'s scathing joint statement last week castigating Ruto’s government for what they called a deeply entrenched culture of lies, corruption, unfulfilled promises, and misplaced priorities.

The bishops of the largest Christian denomination in Kenya said Ruto’s “greedy” and “selfish” regime has turned a blind eye to Kenyans’ concerns, such as over-taxation, education and healthcare crises and high unemployment rates among the youth.

The statement – and the ACK’s silence since – led to speculation that the second-largest Christian domination does not agree with Roman Catholic bishops’ stance.

ACK Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit in a statement on Monday, however, said ACK “fully supports” the Catholic bishops' statement on the state of the nation.

“We believe that the government is 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,” Sapit said, a reference to the government’s response to the Thursday statement.

“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.”

ACK joined the Catholic Church in criticising the government for the problems with the new university funding model and the dysfunctional transition from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to the Social Health Authority (SHA).

“It cannot be gainsaid that Kenyans have suffered unexplained abductions, forced disappearances and unresolved murders. Who should be held responsible if not the government?” posed Sapit.

The ACK archbishop said Kenyans “should not simply fold [their] hands and pray for miracles.”

“We demand transparency, greater accountability, time-bound plans, and urgent interventions in such services as especially medical care, which cannot wait,” he added.

Last week's statement elicited defence from various government agencies like the Health and Education Ministries, as well as the Inspector General of Police.

The government officials accused the Catholic church of overlooking areas they said Ruto’s administration has performed well, while others like Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja said the President cannot solve “60-year-old” problems in the two years he has been in office.

Ruto himself would later about-face, saying on Saturday he had heard the clergy’s concerns and would make corrections on the issues they highlighted.

At the height of the June-July nationwide anti-government protests over high taxation and high cost of living, Sapit appealed to Kenyan youth to suspend the demos and give the government time to attend to their concerns.

And to President Ruto, Archbishop Sapit called for slashing of government expenditure, prioritizing essential services, withdrawal of the current university funding model and nomination of persons of integrity and merit to his then-disbanded Cabinet.

On Monday, Sapit said, “It is time the government realized that too much talk and open-ended promises will not do.”