Archbishop Muheria calls out politicians for ‘dancing’ at poor people's funerals
Nyeri Diocese Archbishop Anthony Muheria.
Nyeri Archbishop Anthony Muheria has called out politicians for dancing on the graves of hundreds of Kenyans who died in tragedies that have shocked the nation in the recent past.
From the hundreds of deaths reported in Shakahola to the Londiani accident that claimed 52 lives, the Archbishop said politicians were playing ping-pong with people's lives when they started blaming each other without offering them solutions.
He noted that death has shaken the nation and everyone seems numb to the increasing bloodshed and loss of lives in our society through accidents and murders that go unresolved and uninvestigated.
"We seem to have lost the meaning of life...we take human life like a stray dog that is scattered on the road after death and buried without respect," he said.
He went on to say that Kenyans deserve an accounting of the Shakola deaths from the area chiefs, county commissioners, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the National Intelligence Services (NIS) on how the deaths happened without their knowledge.
He said politicians were using these fatal tragedies to advance their political agendas and increase their mileage, which was "the height of disrespect for the dead".
"We see them joining the mourners in the tents, but at the end the funeral ceremony is turned into a political event where they insult and blame each other. They use these events for their own selfish interests. They want to be seen as caring and concerned about our welfare, but it is all a farce," he added.
Speaking at Consolata Cathedral Catholic Church in Nyeri, Archbishop Muheria said it was only when the life of a celebrity was touched that the spotlight was shone on the issues, which was a contrast to the scenarios that play out when the poor are affected.
"We have lost our way. We have been corrupted by money and power and that is why there is no meaning in the lives of ordinary Kenyans. The government does not care about the poor people of Shakahola, Londiana and those whose bodies were dumped in the Yala River, and as Kenyans we have also become indifferent because we are not directly affected by these tragedies," he said.
He went on to say that despite government agencies announcing the launch of investigations into the cause of these tragic incidents and even forming committees to spearhead the inquiries, "nothing much comes out of it".
"Investigations that go back and forth without solutions do not help us, nor do policies that do not offer solutions," he said.
He called on Kenyans and Christians to speak out about the social ills that have rocked the nation and demand accountability from elected leaders.
"It does not matter if those who died were from your tribe, clan or family, we should stand up for them and find a solution and vow that it will not happen again," he said, adding that there must be a change in the way we perceive life.
