Kenyan bishops call on government to stamp out corruption

Catholic Bishops in Kenya have challenged President Mwai Kibaki to make every effort to stamp out corruption in his government. In a statement issued at the end of their plenary meeting, held at St Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary, Langata near Nairobi and dated April 28, the 28 bishops described corruption as a "millstone around our necks" adding that "it prevented urgent development and was eating away at the moral fibre of the nation." The Bishops urged Kenyan parents and society in general to teach children from an early age that stealing, deviousness and deceitfulness are wrong and sinful. They said: "our nation needs a governing authority to ensure that laws are obeyed, public order is maintained, human rights are respected, and peace, development and prosperity are ensured." While some individuals and decisions meeting these criteria, they said, "the overwhelming impression is that our leaders in various categories have been overtaken by all forms of sleaze and deception." "New words have entered our vocabulary in Kenya such as "Golden berg" and "Anglo Leasing", which they pointed out meant greed, theft, corruption and arrogance." "Our legislators are among the most highly paid in the world for the service they are elected to give. It is difficult even to begin to understand the arrogance of demanding even more pay and allowances in a country that is racked with famine, disease and poverty," they concluded.