NCCK North Rift Region Leadership addressing the media after a two-day Regional Conference in Eldoret.
Rescue God’s People from Suffering
Press Statement
Preamble
The Regional Conference of the NCCK North Rift Region meeting here at RCEA Guest House, Eldoret, from 27th to 29th June 2018 under the theme If you keep silent, who will relieve and deliver my people (Esther 4: 14). The Regional Conference is the highest governance organ in the region and meets once every three years. More than one hundred and sixty delegates from the Member Churches in Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Trans Nzoia, West Pokot, Elgeyo Marakwet and Turkana counties participated in the Conference.
We drew lessons from a study of the theme verse, Esther 4: 14
For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?
We recognized that every leader, in whatever capacity, has a responsibility to do all they can to rescue the people from the problems and challenges they face and improve their livelihoods. Recognizing that poverty, insecurity, corruption and divisive politics are the main challenges facing our people today, we wish to share the following message with the residents of this region and the entire nation.
1. Provide Security for All
Over the decades, the residents of our counties have experienced high levels of insecurity, especially perpetual killings of innocent Kenyans by bandits and cattle rustlers. This is a breach of the constitutional right to freedom and security.
This Regional Conference urges His Excellency the President to reorganize the security machinery in the region to ensure that any and all individuals who are involved in the criminal activities are brought to book. We especially recommend that action be taken against politicians who are implicated in the insecurity. They must not be allowed to continue hiding behind the name of their tribes to perpetuate evil. On our part, we will continue to facilitate the faithful in our churches and communities to engage in intra and inter ethnic dialogue aimed at integrating all our communities to live in peace and harmony.
2. Slay Corruption
This Regional Conference has keenly considered the challenge posed by corruption in this nation, and especially the impact it has had on the lives of the people who are forced to pay higher taxes and illegal levies to access services and opportunities. Our counties are currently witnessing spiraling cases of land grabbing which should be stopped forthwith. Our farmers are experiencing extreme oppression when they seek to purchase the subsidized farm inputs from government agencies, and they are blocked from selling the farm produce to the National Cereals and Produce Board. The actions by the corrupt who are undercutting the farmers are systematically killing our economic activities and consigning our people to perpetual poverty. This cannot continue! We will not watch in Silence!
In this regard, we wish to reiterate the position taken by the Executive Committee of the NCCK which recommended that:
(i) Corruption is declared a national disaster so as to intensify actions and campaigns against it
(ii) Past corruption offenders be offered an amnesty from prosecution for one year within which they return what they stole and also name those who they partnered with in the stealing. Any suspects who do not take advantage of the amnesty will then face full force of the law
(iii) Change the punishment for corruption to life imprisonment
(iv) Ruthlessly enforce asset recovery to take back what any person has acquired through corruption and other dubious means
(v) Reform the anti corruption agencies so that they are designed to actually be effective against corruption
We especially call for the disbanding of the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission and have the investigative mandate transferred to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, enforcement mandate to the National Police Service, and prosecution mandate to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions.
3. Eradicate Poverty
This Regional Conference is concerned that five decades after Kenya gained independence, residents of our counties are primarily characterized by extreme poverty. There is minimal infrastructural development in our areas, which hinders transport, communication and economic activities.
We therefore call upon the County Governments in our region to put in place measures and structures aimed at promoting economic empowerment of our communities, and recommend the following:
(i) Build, and where necessary rehabilitate, all weather roads to all parts of our counties to open them up to economic activity
(ii) Enhance agricultural extension services to empower the people with knowledge of crop agriculture as well as skills in water harvesting, irrigation, storage and marketing of farm produce to enhance food security
(iii) Employ and commission nutrition officers to educate people on healthy eating habits to address cases of malnutrition and ill health
(iv) Allocate funds for Family Life Education to cut down the cases of dysfunctional families, high levels of teenage pregnancies, and gender based violence
(v) Increase the density of health facilities to enable people seek and access quality medical care, with special focus on Mother and Child Health services
(vi) Cease the harassment of hawkers and other traders in towns as that is killing livelihoods, increasing unemployment and poses risk to security
(vii) Enact laws aimed at making the counties attract investment by residents and non residents
(viii) Ensure that residents displaced by mining activities are adequately compensated, and that the benefits accruing from sale of oil reach the people
4. Resolve the IEBC Crisis
This Regional Conference is deeply concerned that the crisis at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has been left to fester despite the danger it poses to the nation should the need arise to organize elections. We recommend that Parliament amends the law to provide clear guidelines for what happens when a Commissioner resigns.
In the same breath, this Regional Conference is aware that the prevailing public discourse is touching on the state of Jubilee Party and the aspirations of individuals who are seeking to be elected President in 2022. We recognize that politics is one of the core aspects of human life, but it is not the only one. We therefore urge our political leaders to put focus on improving the lives of the people by ensuring their economic empowerment. When the time comes, we will decide who will be our leaders, and current performance will be a key factor when making that decision.
5. Recall Contaminated and Poisonous Sugar
This Regional Conference is appalled by the continued inaction by the government against people who use Carbide to ripen fruits and Formalin to preserve milk. Currently, the wave of action against contraband and contaminated sugar has brought to fore the fact that the agencies tasked to safeguard the safety of foods consumed in the country have totally failed to do their work. We have considered this matter and recommend that:
(i) The government immediately recalls all the sugar on the shelves and households and compensates the retailers for allowing them to be supplied with adulterated sugar
(ii) The Kenya Bureau of Standards is immediately restructured to get rid of all the staff who have been compromised to endanger Kenyan lives
(iii) The Kenya Revenue Authority is immediately restructured to get rid of staff at border entry points who allow contraband and low quality goods with unchecked chemicals into the country
(iv) That all the persons involved in the importation, clearance, and circulation of the adulterated goods be prosecuted with Crimes Against Humanity or terrorism for deliberately endangering the lives of Kenyans
(v) Ban importation of sugar from the countries of origin where the current poisoned consignments were sourced, as well as withdrawal of licenses of all companies that imported it
6. New Leadership Team
This Regional Conference is honoured to announce that as provided for in the NCCK Constitution, the following persons were elected to the Regional Committee:
Position Name
Chairman Rt Rev Dr Paul Korir
Vice Chairperson Moderator Revf Joseph Oketch
Honorary Treasurer Rev Josphat Kimani
Women Representative Lillian Plapan
Youth Representative Paul Jelinga
Persons with Disabilities Representative To be Announced
Conclusion
As we conclude, we wish to remind all that God has put each of us in the positions we hold so that we serve Him and promote the welfare of His people. May God bless North Rift Region now and always.
Signed on this 29th day of June 2018 at RCEA Guest House, Eldoret
Rt Rev Dr Paul Korir
Regional Chairman, NCCK North Rift Region
