Catholic Bishops have faulted MPs who are asking for a pay rise, saying the lawmakers are insensitive to the plight of millions of Kenyans. Speaking to the press in Nairobi, The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) chairman Philip Anyolo, who was accompanied by other Bishops, said some MPs seem out of touch with the troubles besetting Kenyans, “It is now clear that some of us and most of our lawmakers are out of touch with the reality of the desperate situation facing Kenyans,” he said.
The debate went a notch higher days ago when COTU boss Francis Atwoli said MPs deserve a pay rise because Kenyans have created a culture of begging and depending on them for financial favours, coupled with other factors. However, KCCB has reiterated that Kenyans are currently burdened enough and the huge wage bill the taxpayers support is too much.
The Bishops also called out the government for its borrowing trend, saying the billions of loans borrowed is another burden that will be carried by Kenyans for many years. “Kenyans have reason to worry, given our culture of corruption, that a huge chunk of these loans will end up lining the pockets of corrupt officials who are only seeking their own interests,” said Anyolo.
The Bishops urged the government to urgently deal with graft cases, and that the state’s inaction is breeding anger among the people. They’ve wondered why cases are still up in the air even after corruption information is in public domain and questioned the efficiency of the DCI, DPP and EACC, “Why are these agencies not able to process watertight cases expeditiously and have them prosecuted?”
The Bishops further resolved that they’ll take the anti-graft message to the Catholic faithful in the grassroots to ensure that the vice is dealt with, “We invite our faithful and people of good will to externally commit by freely and sincerely appending their signatures where and when needed, to fighting corruption and corrupt practices,” said Anyolo.