AFRICA/KENYA - "Let us continue the dialogue with young people instead of blaming the bishops"

Monday, 30 June 2025 bishops violence youth

KENYA

2025-07-05
Appointment of auxiliary bishop of Wote

2025-06-30
"Let us continue the dialogue with young people instead of blaming the bishops"

2025-06-26
Deaths and injuries during a demonstration commemorating the victims of last year's clashes

2025-06-25
Tensions rise during the protest march in memory of the victims of last year's clashes

2025-06-24
Bishops' message for tomorrow's day of protest: "No to violence, yes to life"

2025-06-23
The appeal of the Archbishops of Nyeri and Nairobi for the march in memory of last year's victims: "Let dialogue prevail"

Nairobi (Agenzia Fides) - “We want to ask everybody — the government, the leaders, and the political spheres — to look at the fact that we are taking care of the dignity of the young people,”
said Archbishop Philip Arnold Subira Anyolo of Nairobi yesterday, Sunday, June 29, in a statement regarding the accusations made by the Minister of the Interior Kipchumba Murkomen against Catholic and non-Catholic religious leaders, whom the minister accuses of siding with the "anarchists" and failing to condemn the violence during the "Generation Z" protests on June 25 in memory of the victims of last year's demonstrations against the Finance Bill (see Fides, 21, 25 and 26 June 2024).
At least 16 people were killed in clashes with police during this year's protests (see Fides, 26/6/2025). In his statement, the Archbishop of Nairobi emphasized that the Church cares about the lives of all people: “Life is never to be sacrificed for anything else, but to be given the future, for the prosperity of the nation and for the prosperity of human beings.”
Archbishop Anyolo therefore reiterated his call to listen to young people: “we have to agree — all of us together — the leaders in government, the church, and the parents, all of us who take care of the young people, we need to listen to them and understand them and help them grow and mature”.
Members of the Anglican Church also responded to the Minister of the Interior. “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,” emphasized the Anglican Bishop of Nyahururu, Samson Gachathi.
''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,''the Minister of the Interior declared, reiterating that nine police stations were attacked, five of which were set on fire. Dozens of police, government, and civilian vehicles were also damaged. The Ministry of Agriculture also claimed that more than 7,354 bags of fertilizer worth approximately $230,000 were stolen from a national warehouse in Meru County, about 200 kilometers east of Nairobi, taking advantage of the chaos of the demonstrations that turned violent. The theft was described by Kenyan authorities as a "direct attack on Kenya's food security." (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 30/6/2025)