In a heartfelt plea, clergy members from the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK), led by Archbishop Joseph Ole Sapit, have called on Kenya’s youthful anti-government protesters to suspend their demonstrations. Speaking at the All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi, Ole Sapit highlighted the significant impact the protests have had on the Kenya Kwanza administration, leading to the sacking of the Cabinet and the replacement of former Police Inspector General Japhet Koome.
The Archbishop acknowledged the protesters’ efforts but emphasized the need to give President William Ruto more time to address their grievances. “We appeal to protesters to suspend protests and give the government time to attend to the raft of demands, some of which the President has begun to address including firing most of his Cabinet Secretaries, signing of the IEBC Amendment Bill 2024 into law, and the resignation of the IG of Police among others,” said Ole Sapit.
Ole Sapit urged protesters to avoid actions that could jeopardize the country’s future. He assured that the church would closely monitor and report on the government’s progress in implementing the protesters’ demands. “We as a church will monitor and report any progress that is made and also demand that whatever has been committed should be implemented,” he added.
The Archbishop also called on President Ruto to swiftly address the additional demands made by the public. These include reducing government expenditures and the wage bill, prioritizing essential services, and freezing both local and foreign accounts of all corruption suspects. “Because of these measures the government must come up with, in the next one week, an implementation matrix of these demands and make it available for public scrutiny and monitoring,” Ole Sapit stated.
Among the specific grievances, Ole Sapit demanded the withdrawal of the recently introduced housing levy and the increased fuel levy, which he described as unjust. “Taxpaying Kenyans do not see value for the money of these schemes,” he said.
Ole Sapit further urged the government to reconsider the current university funding model, which he claimed has made higher education inaccessible to many deserving and needy students. “We recommend a thorough review of the funding model to ensure it is inclusive and promotes equity,” he said.
In closing, the Archbishop emphasized the importance of integrity and merit in future Cabinet appointments. “Going forward, let the President heed the voice of Kenyans and appoint both the commissioners and the Cabinet men and women of high integrity and competence,” said Ole Sapit. “Let merit and proven track record be the criteria for these appointments. Rewarding political allies and cronies must be avoided at all costs.”
