Good Governance For A Better Tomorrow

Good Governance For A Better Tomorrow

Pastoral Letter

Deuteronomy 30: 9

The Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your fathers, if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees.

Preamble

The Programmes Committee of the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) has held a meeting here at Jumuia Conference and Country Home, Limuru, to reflect on the state of the nation in the context of the just concluded 2022 elections.

The meeting took note that Kenyans across the board heard our calls and maintained peace and calm before, during and after the elections. This expression of democratic maturity is highly commended.

Recognizably, national attention now of necessity needs to turn to issues of governance, development, and wellbeing of all the citizens of our nation. This is an endeavour that should always be guided by the prayer we make in our National Anthem:

Oh God of all creation, bless this our land and nation

Justice be our shield and defender

May we dwell in unity, peace and liberty

Plenty be found within our borders

Towards this, we share the following messages:

1. Message to All Kenyans

Dear Kenyans, we thank you for peacefully exercising your democratic right and responsibility. Nonetheless voting is only one part of this responsibility. We now have a duty to actively promote good and ethical governance of our nation by participating in forums and avenues to present our priorities to the national and county governments. We must hold our leaders accountable as a strategy to forestall corruption and ensure that elected leaders and civil servants deliver on their mandates with justice and equity.

2. Message to the Youth

Our sons and daughters, we salute you for the astute position you took to resist manipulation to engage in conflict and violence during the elections. This break from the past is awesome. We now encourage you to take advantage of the peace in the country to exercise your creativity to initiate and expand income generating activities. Let us join hands to advocate for industrialization of our country so as to increase job opportunities. Just as we were champions for peace during the elections, let us become champions pushing for justice, equity and good governance.

3. Message to the Elected Leaders

Dear Members of County Assemblies, Members of the National Assembly, Senators, Women Members of the National Assembly, and Governors, we congratulate you for your election. We now call upon you to execute the mandate God and Kenyans have laid on you diligently and to the letter. The position you hold is not an avenue to enrich yourself, but an opportunity to serve and build the nation. Do remember the guidance given in Micah 6: 8

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

4. Message to All Aspirants Who were not Elected

Dear Brothers and Sisters, we commend you for the aspiration to be leaders in our nation at different levels. Even though you did not win the position you vied for, you remain import to our nation. Your continued contribution to development and democracy is essential. Keep up your hope, and identify other ways you will contribute to the welfare of the nation. We are praying for you.

5. Message to President Dr William Ruto

Your Excellency President Ruto, we commend you on assuming office as the President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander in Chief of the Defence Forces. We now call upon you to commit your efforts and focus on delivering on the constitutional mandate of your office and the commitments you made to Kenyans during the campaigns. We especially ask that your government urgently puts in place measures to:

• Bring down the cost of living which has spiraled to unmanageable levels and driving Kenyans into desperation. If not addressed soon, this could be a driver of insecurity and terrorism.
• Declare famine and drought a national disaster to facilitate concentration of effort and resources to safeguard the lives of Kenyans and livestock from imminent death and malnutrition.
• Initiate a national youth engagement programme that will address their economic and socio-political exclusion.
• Strengthen state agencies and constitutional commissions so that they play their role in protecting the welfare of Kenyans.

6. Message to Security Agencies

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the security agencies, we commend you for the manner in which you enforced law and order before, during and after the elections. We urge you to remain impartial, standing only for justice and rule of law. Exercise a humane approach when dealing with Kenyans at all times.

7. Message to the IEBC

Dear Brothers and Sisters serving in the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, we thank you for the work you have done. However, Kenyans are concerned about the divisions within your ranks that threaten credibility of the electoral framework of our nation. We implore you to resolve your differences in the context of dialogue and mediation.

8. Message to Religious Leaders

Dear Brothers and Sisters, we once again commend you for the commitment to promote peace and national cohesion before, during and after the elections through pulpit messaging. Let us now take up our role of nurturing the worshippers so that they heal the elections-related wounds and progress in their lives.

Conclusion

God has called upon us in the Bible to uphold peace, and we have done so as Kenyans. Let us now look forward to God blessing our nation with prosperity, justice and liberty. May we be an industrious nation guided by the word of God in 1 Thessalonians 4: 11

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you.

May God enable us all to play our part in ensuring peace for a better tomorrow.

Signed on this 22^nd day of September 2022 at Jumuia Conference and Country Home, Limuru

Bishop Joseph Ntombura

Chairman

Rev Canon Chris Kinyanjui

General Secretary