Kenyans don’t need houses but food, Archbishop Muheria tells gov’t

Nyeri Catholic Archbishop Anthony Muheria has accused the government of refusing to listen to the plight of Kenyans who he says are suffering the burden of the high cost of living due to heavy taxation.

Speaking at Kiriti Catholic Church in Nyeri on Sunday when he launched the Lenten campaign 2024 for the archdioceses themed ‘Integrity for a just nation’, Muheria called on Kenyans to pray for the leadership of the nation to have a change of heart and listen to dissenting voices.

“The cost of living has become totally unbearable, we are asking if there is no space for the government to listen. We have called our leaders about the strains they have put on the Kenyan people but all our calls have fallen on deaf ears,” the archbishop said.

The church leader accused the government of failing to address priority areas of concern for Kenyans and passing punitive legislation.

“It seems that no one wants to have a conversation we need dialogue on taxes, we need a dialogue about the housing levy. Yes, it can pass through parliament but that does not mean it is right, our people do not necessarily need houses, they need food and survival, can we address that?” posed Muheria.

Muheria however explained that the clergy is not opposed to the government and its projects but maintained that there is an urgent need for a national conversation on the issues hurting Kenyans.

“This is what we are trying to articulate in this lent period we are having conflict or a fight we are not opposed to the government or the projects, we are just very concerned about the cost of living that the cost of living continues to rise and the leaders have refused to listen,” he said.

The archbishop tasked Kenyans to seek divine intervention during the Lenten period.

“We cannot force listening, we can not a heart softening but we pray that it does soften,” he said.