NAIROBI, Kenya (LifeSiteNews) — The Catholic bishops of Kenya condemned several moves by the government as an intentional undermining of the Catholic Church within society, including two new laws that will effectively allow the government to seize control of Catholic schools throughout the country, and the refusal to guarantee payment of large amounts of debt owed by the government to Catholic hospitals.
In a press statement issued April 11 by the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops after a plenary session last week, the bishops declared, “We as the Catholic Church are noticing changing dynamics of the relationship between ourselves and the government. We are concerned about the deliberate intent to reduce and undermine the role of the Catholic Church, and indeed all Faiths as safeguards of morality in society. We especially decry this subversion in the fields of Education and Health.”
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The bishops drew attention to the government’s attempt to allow the unilateral seizure and control of Catholic private schools by the government, contrary to its legal agreement with the Church and its recognized role in the intellectual and moral formation of Kenyan citizens.
The bishops decried that “from independence there has been a gradual attempt to wrestle the management and role of Churches in the schools. The proposed new Bill now further threatens this crucial role of Churches in our Education system. We, therefore, decry and reject the systematic scheme to undermine and weaken our management role as the founders of the Catholic Sponsored schools.”
They also lamented the crippling effect on Catholic hospitals that has resulted from massive unpaid debt owed the hospitals by the government.
The bishops wrote, “We have on various occasions raised to the Government the very unjust fact that the Faith-based Hospitals are owed huge amounts by NHIF. As of now, this has accrued to over 2 Billion Kenya shillings… We demand from the government to promptly clear the NHIF debts owed to all facilities that have provided medical services under the NHIF scheme before the transition to the new Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).”
According to reports, “The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) and the Christian Health Association of Kenya (CHAK) collectively oversee a network of over 800 affiliated facilities, accounting for an estimated 30% of healthcare services nationwide. Recent data reveals the expansive healthcare footprint of the Catholic Church, encompassing a network of 451 centers, over 70 mission hospitals, 117 health centers, 14 medical training colleges, and 251 dispensaries.”
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Catholic education and health care were just some of the many complaints of injustice the bishops raised against the current Kenya government.
Concluding their strong grievances, they wrote, “The Government has the duty and responsibility, even as a Godly and noble thing, to mitigate these adversities, and facilitate the improvement of the welfare of the citizens. They should also fulfill the promises they made to the people. This is the reason that the Church stands as a sentinel for the morality of the society, the upholding of human dignity, and the defense of the very poor. We as Bishops therefore express our great dissatisfaction of the situation of injustice these situations bring upon us.
The bishops met with Kenya President William Samoei Ruto after issuing their statement. Following the meeting, Ruto wrote in response, “The church is a valuable partner in our development agenda. We appreciate their input in the health and education sectors and look forward to working together to strengthening our country’s governance.”
The FULL TEXT of the Kenya bishops’ statement follows below:
KENYA CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS KENYA CATHOLIC SECRETARIAT – CRY OF THE OPPRESSED
“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’” (Zech. 7, 9-10)
We, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, gathered at Roussel House, Karen Nairobi for our Bishops’ Plenary meeting greet you and wish you the blessings of Easter, a time of Hope and of God’s victory over evil. We thank God for many blessings we have received since the beginning of the year, especially for the rains that we are now experiencing. We appreciate the Government efforts on many fronts like reforestation, campaign for care of the environment and climate change, and also for the stabilization of the Kenya shilling in the recent weeks.
As we review the state of our society and our nation we wish to share the following concerns.
- The Gradual Intent to Undermine the Role of the Church as a Stakeholder in Society
Our African society has always been rooted and anchored in a deep respect and reverence to God. This is enshrined in our Constitution and expressed in our National Anthem. Our common belief in God, leads us to respect life and uphold the dignity of ‘each and every person. The role of (the) Church is to safeguard and nurture the morals and values in society that this relationship with God entails.
The Catholic Church from the time our first missionaries arrived in Kenya, has all along continued to be truly committed in human welfare initiatives in Education, Health and the uplifting of the dignity of the human person, irrespective of his or her social status or tribe. We have continued to complement Government efforts in a spirit of collaboration and partnership.
Unfortunately, we as the Catholic Church, are noticing changing dynamics of the relationship between ourselves and the government. We are concerned about the deliberate intent to reduce and undermine the role of the Catholic Church, and indeed all Faiths as safeguards of morality in society. We especially decry this subversion in the fields of Education and Health.
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- Dilution of “Sponsors” Role in Education and in our Schools
The proposed Education bill (Basic Education Bill 2024) seeks yet again to dilute and reduce the role of the Church on schools and other educational institutions. In fact, it is a breach of the original arrangement between the Church and the State on how Church-founded education institutions were to be managed.
Our history is very clear, that many of these institutions were established by our missionaries, who worked tirelessly and with great sacrifice, to set them up and nurtured them for many years. Moreover, the main contribution was not only academic education but a true formation of morals and humanity. This has given our Country great leaders and forged the moral fabric of our Kenyan society.
From independence, there has been a gradual attempt to wrestle the management and role of Churches in the schools. The proposed new Bill now further threatens this crucial role of Churches in our Education system. We, therefore, decry and reject the systematic scheme to undermine and weaken our management role as the founders of the Catholic Sponsored schools.
As a major stakeholder in the provision of education, we as a Church have a right to actively engage in the overall management and supervision of all our private and Catholic-sponsored schools. Most of these were born out of the initiative of the Catholic Church.
In the same vein, the proposed Universities Bill (amendment) 2024 grants the Cabinet Minister unilateral power of dissolution and merger, conversion or amalgamation of private universities without reference to the owners (art. 38). It is surprising that instead of focusing on improving the situation in public universities where the situation is dire, the government wishes to control and interfere with our faith-based universities. While we wish to follow the standards set by the Ministry of Education, we wish that there always be full consultation with all stakeholders in matters that affect our universities.
- Unreasonable Demands for Work Permits for Missionaries
We owe a lot to the missionaries who have served us in this country. Their love and sacrifice for Kenyans and for this country deserves great respect and recognition. Indeed, they have been proudly Kenyan, contributing generously in all ways, and even many are buried in our soil. Today many, with great sacrifice continue offering great services of charity, and social work.
We are surprised by the exorbitant increase in the Work Permit Charges paid for Missionaries, from Kshs 15,000 to Kshs 150,000. This is absolutely unethical and shows lack of gratitude to people dedicating their lives to the good of society. We as a country, in fact should be showing gratitude and appreciation through giving waivers to priests, religious men and women, and other social missionary volunteers who come to complement our social engagement. We request that their work permit be zero rated.
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- Long Outstanding Debts of NHIF
The Catholic Church owns and manages hundreds of hospitals and dispensaries in the country. This we do in response to our God-given mandate to support human dignity no matter the circumstances. In partnership with the Government, we have complemented Government efforts to make health services reach the most needy.
We have on various occasions raised to the Government the very unjust fact that the Faith-based Hospitals are owed huge amounts by NHIF. As of now, this has accrued to over 2 Billion Kenya shillings. The effect is that most of our hospitals are crippled and not able to operate optimally, and therefore offer services to the needy. In fact, many are now unable to procure medicines and pay salaries.
We are now in the process of shifting to the new Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF). Our enquiries on whether our debts will be honoured have been met with mere promises and no legal guarantee. This is not only unfair but totally unjust! We demand from the government to promptly clear the NHIF debts owed to all facilities that have provided medical services under the NHIF scheme before the transition to the new Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).
5. Doctors’ Strike
We recognize that at certain times people must seek justice and equity. However, time and again we have urged the medical fraternity that their profession is not like others, as it touches on human life most closely. While we believe there may be merit-worthy demands, we have always urged the doctors and medical practitioners to place the life and interests of the patients first. We still do the same.
The life of a human person should never be used as a bargaining currency. Every life is worth more than any financial or employment gain, We urge the Government on one hand, and Doctors and Clinical Officers on the other, to seek a working arrangement, that does not put the lives of the patients at risk, so that lives are not lost or threatened even during the industrial action.
We ask the Government to speedily address the legitimate concerns of the doctors. Our health provision is in the hands of the medical fraternity. We ask both parties to seek dialogue and settle the matter once and for all. We believe a mutual position can be reached quickly to end this unnecessary bleeding.
The situation is deplorable and we continue witnessing the misery of the sick. Many have died and many are deteriorating in their sickness because of the current standoff. This is worsened by the inability of the faith-based hospitals to fully respond to the crisis, as they have been crippled by the NHIF debt. In the final result, the person who pays dearly with their lives, is the poor Kenyan.
- High Cost of Living and Over Taxation
On several occasions, we have addressed the issue of the cost of living and over- taxation. The reality of ordinary Kenyans is that they are struggling financially which has often led them to mental distress. The last three years have seen a very sharp rise in the cost of living. At the same time, food produce has fetched an all-time low point in the market.
While Kenyans are doing everything possible to adapt to the high cost of living, the Church stands with those who cannot afford to get food on the table, to take children to school, and to pay medical bills. Unemployment also is at its highest. Moreover, we continue to be “heavily taxed” by corruption in our services systems! The issue of over-taxation should therefore be understood within this context.
What must we do to support the suffering Kenyans? It must be our aim as a Nation, to make the ordinary Kenyan at least meet their basic needs.
We have urged and continue to encourage the government to improve public participation in assessing its tax regime. That includes listening to the voice of the Churches and other faiths who have been clear on what path may be most beneficial at this time. We ask that the use of the collected taxes be clear and the benefit for the welfare evident. This applies both to National Government and to County Governments. We should not intend to raise billions in a short span at the cost of great stress to ordinary Kenyans. We can develop slowly but with dignity.
- Encouragement to Kenyans on their Resilience
As we conclude, we the Catholic Bishops, as your shepherds, are very proud of you our fellow Kenyans. The resilience of Kenyans to withstand adversities ranging from the cost of living, weather conditions or sickness, has always stood out. This Hope and positive attitude largely comes from our faith in God. As the Psalmist says “This poor man called, and the Lord heard him” (Ps 34, 6). The Church will always walk with you.
On the other hand, the Government has the duty and responsibility, even as a Godly and noble thing, to mitigate these adversities, and facilitate the improvement of the welfare of the citizens. They should also fulfil the promises they made to the people. This is the reason that the Church stands as a sentinel for the morality of the society, the upholding of human dignity, and the defense of the very poor. We as Bishops therefore express our great dissatisfaction of the situation of injustice these situations bring upon us.
As we celebrate this Easter season, the Risen Christ gives us a new Hope and impetus, to overcome evil and bring light to this world, so as to build up a true civilization of love.
We invite and encourage all Kenyans to pray intensely for our Country, our Leaders and for all the citizens.
Most Rev. Maurice Muhatia Makumba
CHAIRMAN OF KCCB/KISUMU
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