Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) have condemned recent incidents of police brutality and extra-judicial killings targeting young people.
Speaking during a press briefing on Tuesday morning, the bishops described the fatal shooting of a hawker, Boniface Kariuki Mwangi, 22 by police officer at point-blank range as “shocking,” but emphasizing that security officers are meant to protect, not harm.
“Peace is not merely the absence of war …it is founded on truth, built up in justice, nurtured and animated in charity. “They said.
They acknowledged the fact that frustration the young people of Kenya are venting out which have posed a deep and serious concern about the current governance about massive misuse of public resources and that the response to questioning or honest civic expression is now being met with brutality.
“When a poor village boy violently loses his life it is just as tragic as when an important politician loses his. “They lament.
The brutal killings of young people in the country such as recent death of Fr John Maina, Albert Ojwang, Fr.Allois Bett among others whose lives were taken in unexplained and violent circumstances is not just a normal death but a moral crisis in the state.
“Young people must be helped to develop their talents and responsibilities in the spirit of service to others,” as from the teaching of Pope Francis of Happy memory.
The Bishops asked and commended the young people for exercising their civic right peacefully and within the law. But condemned the harassment ,abduction and killing of young people whose only offence was raising their voice for accountability and justice
“The government’s primary responsibility is to protect its citizens, not to threaten silence or punish them. A society that instils fear in youth for simply speaking out is a society walking away from justice.”
“The church cannot and must not remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice.” The Bishops calls upon the government to address, Independent investigations and transparent accountability and for the government to acknowledge the mysterious deaths under their watch, respect for the rule of law, Protection of civic voices and human rights defenders, governance by fear, threat or intimidation must give way to empathetic consultative and service-driven leadership and lastly open channels of meaningful dialogue.
Additionally sending a message to the young people, leaders and the country at large hoping for a better country and that we all continue to pray for our country.
