Your Excellency,
The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) is gravely concerned about the worsening social and security situation in our nation, particularly in light of the ongoing debates surrounding the Finance Bill 2024 and the 2024/2025 National Budget Estimates. Inspired by the scripture in Proverbs 29:14, which says, “If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will always be secure,” we wish to share the following thoughts.
1. Context Review
Over the past two months, Kenyans from all corners of the country have actively and passionately debated the Finance Bill 2024. The overwhelming consensus from these discussions is a call for the Members of Parliament to reject the Finance Bill 2024 and revise it to better address the taxation concerns of the populace. The peaceful protests by Kenyans, especially the youth, over the past two weeks highlight this robust civic engagement.
We are deeply saddened and shocked by the violence and deaths that occurred yesterday. Therefore, we present the following recommendations.
2. Withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024
We urge you to listen to the cries and pleas of the Kenyan people and withdraw the Finance Bill 2024. Please do not sign it into law. Instead, send it back to Parliament for revision to ensure it reflects the will of the people. This should be accompanied by a review of the 2024/25 National Budget Estimates to align them with the nation’s fiscal realities. We need a Finance Act and National Budget that operate on the principle of living within our means.
It is heartless and insensitive for the Members of Parliament to ignore the will of the people by passing the Finance Bill 2024. By doing so, they have undermined their legitimacy in the eyes of the voters.
We encourage your government to align the Finance Bill with the people’s wishes to inspire hope, boost productivity, and dignify livelihoods.
3. Prevent Further Bloodshed
The killing of peaceful protesters by the police is unacceptable and must never happen again. Recognizing the constitutional right of Kenyans to demonstrate peacefully and present their grievances to public officials, we urge you to:
a) Instruct the police to cease using lethal force against demonstrators. b) Halt the emerging trend of abductions, clandestine arrests, and forced disappearances of Kenyans expressing their opinions on national matters. c) Order the immediate release of all persons who have been abducted or arrested. d) Revoke the Kenya Gazette and National Assembly resolution deploying the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) domestically. The country is not in a state of insurrection or civil war, and military deployment only serves to militarize civilian affairs.
4. Reassure and Unite the Nation
As the President and symbol of national unity, it is your duty to reassure, calm, and unite Kenyans. We appeal to you to publicly acknowledge and express condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and to comfort the injured. You need to apologize on behalf of the security agencies for their actions.
We also recommend that the government waive the costs of treatment for all those injured by the police.
5. Convene a National Conference on Finance and Governance
To move the nation forward and build national unity, hope, and engagement in the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, we strongly recommend that you convene a National Economic and Social Conference. This conference should bring together stakeholders from all sectors and counties to determine Kenya’s economic destiny.
Conclusion
Your Excellency, we thank you for this opportunity to communicate with you. We assure you of our support and prayers. We believe that these recommendations will help end the current crisis and prevent further bloodshed, as warned in Numbers 35:33, which states, “Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it.”
May God bless you.
