Church leaders accuse government of hypocrisy, urge end to blame game over protests

Church leaders across the country have urged the government to engage with Kenya’s youth and address their concerns, saying this is the only way to end the ongoing wave of anti-government protests.

Their remarks came just days after Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen accused religious leaders of siding with anarchists and failing to denounce the violence that occurred during the Gen Z-led demonstrations.

In messages delivered across various churches on Sunday, the clergy condemned the deaths and destruction witnessed during last Wednesday’s protests but also called for urgent government intervention to resolve the root causes of the unrest.

In Nairobi, Catholic Archbishop Philip Anyolo urged the state to listen to the youth rather than suppress their voices.

“They are asking us to prepare a future for them, and we should all be ready to do something to prepare for them, first by listening to them, and also giving them a chance to listen to us,” Archbishop Anyolo said.

Nyeri Catholic Archbishop Anthony Muheria echoed the call for dialogue and warned against political and societal hypocrisy.

“Tusiongee kama ni watu ambao tumeamua maisha ni sisi tu. Mambo ambayo tunatetea, tunazungumza ni ile yaitwa kwa Kiingereza sophisms. Tumejawa na huu unafiki, (Let's not talk as if we are the only people who matter. The things we defend, the things we talk about, are what are called sophisms in English. We are full of this hypocrisy),” he said.

Pressing issues

Elsewhere, Anglican Church leaders warned the government against ignoring the pressing issues being raised by demonstrators, noting that economic hardship, unemployment and frustration among youth were fuelling the crisis.

In a statement from the Anglican Diocese of Nyahururu, the church called for immediate action to alleviate the cost of living and revive the economy.

“Give top priority to the economic well-being of the people. The cost of living is unbearable for many families. Young people are unemployed. Parents cannot pay school fees. Businesses are struggling. These are not just statistics; they are stories of real suffering. Government must listen, act, and respond quickly,” Bishop Samson Gachathi said.

James Kanyi, another church official, said leaders must stop focusing on distractions and tackle the core grievances voiced by Kenyans.

Stop sideshows

“Let’s stop what we call sideshows and address the real issue. The real issue is that Kenyans are not satisfied with the misuse of public resources, with how our leaders are behaving — and they are just calling leaders to accountability,” he said.

In Thika, Rev Daniel Nderitu of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) called out those financing violence during protests.

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“The spirit of financiers of goons — they do not have any other category than the category of goons,” he said.

Murkomen's comments

The coordinated messages from the church followed sharp criticism from Interior CS Murkomen, who last Thursday accused the clergy and foreign missions of taking sides in Kenya’s internal politics while ignoring the violence directed at law enforcement and the public during protests.

Speaking at Harambee House, Murkomen said it was unfair for religious leaders and diplomats to only focus on police brutality while remaining silent on the chaos caused by criminals who had infiltrated the protests.

“I know that there will be no bishop or church member, neither Catholic nor Anglican, who will come out to defend the police. Nobody will speak about how the police were injured,” Murkomen said.

“I also know that there would be no diplomat who would speak against that. This is because they have no interest in a safe Kenya, and for the country to be a prosperous country with full democracy.”

Murkomen also accused the international community of interfering in Kenya’s internal affairs without a proper understanding of the situation on the ground.

“It is wrong for the church and international community to try and censure the government on what needs to be done, only to go quiet when goons hijack protests and inflict harm on the public,” he said.