The Catholic Church of Kenya has said it is ready to broker a truce between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his estranged Deputy President William Ruto.
In a statement to the newsroom on Wednesday, September 15, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops said that the public spat that is being witnessed between the first in command and his deputy is dangerous for the prevailing peace and tranquility in the country ahead of the 2022 General Election and that it cannot be taken lightly.
“It is an open and sad reality that the President and the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya are not reading from the same script,
“As Church leaders, we are ready to step in and mediate a working arrangement between the two leaders that our Country badly needs as provided by the Constitution,” they said.
Led by Nyeri Archbishop Antony Muheria and the outgoing Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Philip Anyolo, the men of God further said that the ongoing cold war between President Uhuru and DP Ruto is creating anxiety among the people and have the potential to ignite political violence if not addressed with immediate effect.
“We are deeply concerned that if this open disagreement between the President and the Deputy President is taken up by their supporters, the trickle-down effect it could generate across the Country will be dire to even contemplate,
“In a young democracy like ours, it is important that there is unity among the top leaders as this gives confidence to the people. We call upon the President and the Deputy President to seek ways of reconciling and working together for the sake of the unity of our Country,” the clergy said.
Uhuru and Ruto working relationship begun to sink in after the March 2018 handshake between President Uhuru and ODM leader Raila Odinga.
Their poor working relationship has escalated in the recent past as witnessed in August when the Head of State challenged his deputy to resign if he felt he was not wanted in the government he co-formed with his boss.
