By Aoma Keziah,
At the close of their two-day retreat, the Executive Committee of the National Council of Churches of Kenya stepped forward with a message that pierced the usual tones of religious caution.
Their pastoral letter read, opened with a prophet’s cry. “How long, O Lord?” Not just a passage from the book of Habakkuk, but a question aimed squarely at the direction Kenya is heading.
What followed was a sober assessment of a country in a dangerous state. In their words, Kenya now stands at the edge of something hard to name, but impossible to ignore.
A generation of young people, the church leaders noted, sees less meaning in the future than in an early death. The streets are full of ambition that goes nowhere, while the few who succeed often do so through crooked channels. The report called this an economy of despair, where wealth rarely results from honest work.
As for the government, the statement did not mince words. The council accused state agencies of overseeing abductions, torture, and killings of civilians, mostly young men. The church leaders asked why a government would choose fear over law, silence over justice.
Beyond this, they questioned whether the very machinery of future elections is being quietly rigged in advance. They also raised specific alarm over the appointment of electoral commissioners, describing the government’s disregard of a court order as not just illegal, but deliberate.
And what about the courts themselves? The letter asked why the Supreme Court, the final protector of presidential election integrity appears under siege. Replacing judges, they warned, should not become a political game hidden under the banner of reform.
“Is this is really about justice, why are the changes so selective? Then came money. A government, cannot live on promises when the math does not add up. With more than half of most workers income going to taxes and the national budget banking on imaginary revenue, the country is headed straight toward a wall. Meanwhile, small businesses are folding, and investors are fleeing across borders,” the statement read.
The church also turned its gaze outward. For decades, Kenya stayed out of the violent affairs of neighboring states. But now, they said, allegations of Kenyan involvement with Sudanese and Congolese rebel forces mark a worrying shift. A peaceful country must not play with matches near the kindling of war.
But the strongest appeal came close to home the church itself. According to the bishops, places of worship have become stages for politicians to posture, promise, and hand out money. They asked congregants to refuse this, to walk out when the sanctuary is used for political theatre. To keep their churches clean, not just physically, but spiritually.
The tone was grief, not rage. Worn, not loud. What stood out was the clarity of a message crafted in thought, not haste.
They concluded their statement not with policy suggestions, but with the words of the national anthem. A prayer not to leaders, but to the soul of the nation. A call to remember what it means to stand together, not just in protest, but in purpose.
Mt Kenya Times