End Corruption to Dignify Lives of Kenyans – NCCK Nyanza

End Corruption to Dignify Lives of Kenyans

Press Statement

Preamble

The NCCK Nyanza Region has held its 14^th Regional Conference here at Jumuia Hotel Kisumu on 13^th and 14^th May 2024. The Regional Conference is held once every three years to transact statutory business, provide space for fellowship, and provide recommendations to the nation for transformation of lives for a sustainable society. The NCCK Nyanza Region brings together Homa Bay. Kisii. Kisumu, Migori, Nyamira, and Siaya Counties.

Inspired by the theme “Dignified Livelihoods, Resilient Communities” in the context of consideration of the Church, Justice and Relevance, the Regional Conference meditated on the scripture recorded in Deuteronomy 16: 19

Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.

Considering the extent to which corruption has devastated the lives of Kenyans, we now share this message of inspiration with all Kenyans and moreso the residents of Nyanza Region.

1. Meaningfully Fight Corruption

The greatest tragedy of our nation is that justice, professionalism, equity and equality before the law have been sacrificed on the altar of corruption. Political power is continuously being used for selfish enrichment at the expense of the citizens who are trapped in a downward spiral of impoverishment. It is very sad that some government officials at both county and national levels have adopted the horrendous trend of competing with each other as to who is more corrupt than the other. We have become what God described as a nation headed for destruction as we read in Micah 3: 11

Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they lean upon the Lord and say, “Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us”.

We now call upon the national and county governments to focus on radical transformation of their mindsets from the hunter-gatherer mentality that pushes them to grab everything in sight. The future of our nation depends on the deliberate measures we take to change from a consumerism mentality to a producer mentality. To achieve this, we recommend the following:

One, let the government plans and budgets be primarily focused on production and value addition, not just on expenditure for purchase of goods and services.

Two, we challenge the Judiciary, the National Police Service, Parliament and the Executive to end their persistent and meaningless bickering and let each play their part in taking action against every person who engages in corruption. Let us always remember the warning God gives us in Ecclesiastes 8: 11

When the sentence for a crime is not QUICKLY carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong.

Thirdly, we encourage the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC) to change strategy and instead focus on instilling ethics and integrity in the citizens by permeating values in the education curriculum at all levels.

Fourthly, we call upon all Kenyans to rise up and demand for implementation of Chapter Six of the Constitution of Kenya. We must unite to root out corruption and bad governance from our nation.

On our part, we commit to take the period between now and the next elections to educate our people on integrity and values, and will integrate the same in our churches.

2. Dignify Livelihoods

This Regional Conference has noted with concern that there are policies being put in place by Parliament and County Assemblies are killing dignified livelihood options of the citizens. The Finance Acts passed by Parliament in the past 5 years, as well as the County Finance Appropriation Bills, have systematically muzzled businesses and investments by raising taxation to unmanageable levels. This is killing the future lives of our people by hindering micro-level industrialization. To remedy this, we strongly recommend:

One, we urge our county governments to provide favourable business environments by consolidating and rationalizing all the fees, levies and licenses required by different agencies and authorities. Starting and running a business should be made extremely easy, recognizing that the higher the number of enterprises translates to higher income for the county governments.

Two, we continue to plead with the national and county governments to reduce the level of taxation. It is shocking to us that government officials can be so insensitive as to propose new taxes in the Finance Bill 2024. This is increasing depression among the people, and we do not know whether the government has considered the implications of a depressed and angry populace.

3. Promote Food Security

Despite having arable land, most of the families in our countries are not food secure. Further, those who engage in farming do not always produce the best suited crops for their areas, while using the same techniques and technologies as they did 50 years ago. We appeal to our county governments to:

One, organize trainings for farmers on innovation and value addition to improve their incomes and welfare

Two, employ and deploy agricultural field officers to mentor farmers on crop and animal production

Three, develop initiatives that inspire the youth to embrace agriculture and value addition as dignified livelihoods

On its part, we call upon the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission to speedily investigate and ensure action on corruption cases in land registries in which innocent Kenyans are being robbed of their properties through falsification and forced disappearance of records.

On our part, we will upscale the use of our church facilities as training and demonstration sites to promote agriculture.

4. Reconstitute the IEBC for Electoral Dignity

We in this Regional Conference are concerned that the government and other political actors are putting the nation deeper into a constitutional crisis by hindering the recruitment of commissioners for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). We remind all who are involved that citizens in one constituency and four wards do not have elected representatives, while Kisii County does not have a Deputy Governor.

We call upon His Excellency President William Ruto and all concerned stakeholders to set politics aside and facilitate completion of the process.

Further, we urge the Attorney General to seek an advisory from the Supreme Court of Kenya on the next course of action following the lapse of the constitutional deadline for review of boundaries.

5. Make the NADCO Reforms People Driven

Following the eruption of crisis and violence after the 2022 General Elections, the leading coalitions set up the bipartisan National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) to restore peace. However, the report that the NADCO submitted to Parliament went beyond addressing the political dispute and recommended major changes in the Constitution and electoral laws.

On account of the impact that the proposed reforms will have on the lives of the citizens, we call upon Parliament to make the process people driven by:

One, publish the NADCO report in a way that is accessible to all Kenyans, and

Two, have the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee visit all counties to receive the feedback of the people on the proposed reforms

On our part, we have committed to use our structures and platforms to educate the people on the reforms proposed through the NADCO report and related Bills of Parliament.

6. Use Electricity Safely

The records held by Kenya Power Company indicate that more than 90 people have died in electricity related accidents so far this year. If this trend holds, we are likely to lose more people this year to electricity related accidents than we did last year. We appeal to all Kenyans to exercise safety when using electricity, taking into consideration that most accidents arise from illegal connections, faulty wiring in houses, and operating beneath power lines. To not take unnecessary risks, and we strongly recommend the following:

One, only engage licensed electricians to do wiring in your houses;

Two, ensure that electricity supply is connected by Kenya Power and Lighting Company itself; and

Three, avoid putting any buildings or businesses underneath powerlines

On our part as NCCK, we will continue to use our platforms and structures to educate people to use electricity safely.

Conclusion

We conclude by urging all the residents of Nyanza Region and the entire county to take to mind the word of God recorded in Deuteronomy 16: 20

Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you.

We also wish to inform you that the Regional Conference elected a new team of officials to hold office 2024 – 2027. These are:

Chairperson: Rt Rev John Mark Godia

Vice Chair: Bishop Titus Okoda

Hon Treasurer: Pastor Kenneth Ouma

Women Rep: Linnet Angwenyi