The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops has decried the woes and suffering facing sugarcane and maize farmers in the country. Addressing the press in Nairobi accompanied by the Bishops, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops’ chairman Rev. Philip Anyolo said it’s painful to note the suffering of farmers who, after labouring so much to produce their crops cannot find the market for their produce. He said the people destroying the livelihoods of the farmers economically are those who are allowed to import maize, sugar, rice and other commodities from outside yet there are sufficient in the country. He cited the case of maize farmers in the North Rift region, “These farmers cannot sell their maize and some of those who had taken their maize to the Cereals’ Board have not been paid yet we hear that the money had been released by the government,” he said.
He said the reality is that Kenya is becoming a market for other countries, as imports are being brought in of commodities that are already in the farms, “As we speak now many farmers have full stores of maize harvested last year. They have no place to store the maize of this year,” said Anyolo, adding that the price announced by the government is ridiculously low.
Moreover, the Catholic Bishops have faulted the increased cases of pregnancies among school girls which they said show that children are being abused. “Children at this age should be guided to focus on learning and getting the necessary education as per their talent and gifts so that they can shape their future,” said Anyolo. He said the abusers of children must face the full force of the law no matter who they are, and called for responsible parenting, “It is a moment we want to emphasize the importance of responsible parenting while at the same time avoiding any short-term unethical solutions such as contraceptives.” Anyolo said they’ve noticed a rise in cases of abortion and insisted that individual freedom given by God doesn’t include the destruction of life of self or another person, “When we begin to see some lives as useless or unwanted then we know that society is sick,” he said. He called for a return to the Christian moral values.