According to Nyeri Catholic Archbishop Anthony Muheria, the government is not paying attention to the suffering of Kenyans, who he claims are bearing the brunt of high living expenses due to high taxes.
Speaking on Sunday at Kiriti Catholic Church in Nyeri, where he was launching the Lenten campaign 2024 for the archdioceses with the theme "Integrity for a just nation," Muheria urged Kenyans to pray for the country's leaders to change their minds and pay attention to opposing viewpoints.
"The cost of living has become totally unbearable, we are asking if there is no space for the government to listen. We have called our leaders about the strains they have put on the Kenyan people but all our calls have fallen on deaf ears," the archbishop said.
The head of the church charged that the government was enacting punitive laws and neglecting to address the top issues facing Kenyans.
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No one wants to have a conversation. We need dialogue on taxes; we need a dialogue about the housing levy. Yes, it can pass through parliament, but it is incorrect; our people do not necessarily need houses; they need food and survival. Can we address that?" posed Muheria.
Muheria, however, explained that the clergy was not opposed to the government and its projects but maintained an urgent need for a national conversation on the issues hurting Kenyans.
"This is what we are trying to articulate in this lent period we are having conflict or a fight we are not opposed to the government or the projects, we are just very concerned about the cost of living that the cost of living continues to rise and the leaders have refused to listen," he said.
During Lent, the archbishop assigned Kenyans to pray for heavenly intervention.
"We cannot force listening, we can not a heart softening but we pray that it does soften," he said.
