KASAGAM, Kisumu – Nomiya Church of Kenya Archbishop Cardinal Moses Oketch has called for an all-inclusive national dialogue to tame rising political intolerance and foster national cohesion ahead of the August 10, 2027 General Election.
Speaking on Sunday during a church fundraiser for the construction of the Johanna Owalo Mausoleum held at Kasagam Secondary School in Kisumu East Sub-County, the Archbishop condemned the growing trend of politically-instigated violence.
“We cannot accept a country where the rule of law is trampled upon because of political expediency. We must all come out and condemn this culture of hiring young people to cause chaos. Let us help these young people to find something useful to do. Otherwise, we are going to turn this country into another Haiti,” Archbishop Oketch cautioned.
He said it was unacceptable for the country to be balkanized into political territories where leaders decide who comes in and who does not.
“Political actors should be allowed to campaign freely and peacefully wherever they want, to say what they want, so long as they don’t abuse others, so that we can have an election that is free and fair,” he said.
The Archbishop recalled the politically-instigated violence witnessed on Saturday, August 29, 2016 in Awendo, Migori County, where Siaya Governor James Orengo and members of the Linda Mwananchi Movement were attacked.
“It is not right to attack your political opponents physically. Let us challenge one another on ideas and ideologies so that this country can move forward,” he said.
He expressed concern over the state of development in Luo Nyanza despite its history in fighting for democracy.
“We are not happy, especially in Luoland, with what is happening. Other counties and communities are doing better than us, and yet we say we are the best in terms of democracy, that we fought for democracy. The same democracy we fought for is what we are killing today. We cannot accept it as a church,” he stated.
“As Nomiya Church, we say no to hooliganism. We say no to the polarization of this country and we say no to people who want to turn different parts of this country into personal territories.”
Kenya, they emphasissed belongs to all, and Luoland is open to anybody who wants to come and campaign: “So that you can compete on ideas and not on how strong or how reckless you can be in dealing with your opponents.”
Archbishop Oketch emphasized that national dialogue should not be limited to the church and government alone.
“Dialogue is important. But it should not only be between the church and the government. It has to be inclusive. Everybody must be brought on board so that we can discuss how we move forward as a nation. We must talk. Let’s come together and reason together. We don’t accept polarization,” he said.
He also urged the media’s not to “neglect indigenous churches while focusing their coverage mainly to big churches” noting that: “Our churches are sometimes considered to be small churches. We are not small. We are the fourth largest church in this country and nobody can take that away from us.”
He concluded with a call for issue-based politics, “Two-term (Tutam), one-term (Wantam) narratives will not put bread on the table. Ideologies and ideas will. If those are not there, then we are wasting our time.”
