Mount Kenya West Diocese of the Anglican Church of Kenya has condemned Sunday’s violent disruption of the church service at ACK St. Peters Witima church in Othaya, Nyeri County.
Terming the incident as heinous and barbaric, the diocese’s presiding Bishop Gerald Muriithi said that the incident has left the worshippers traumatised after police working alongside goons opened fire and lobbed teargas into the church compound during the Sunday church service.
“As a church we are deeply disturbed and angered by the events of Sunday morning. We feel that our right to worship was violated. Little children were traumatised, aged parents were harassed and disoriented, the clergy were terrified and intimidated and the political leaders were also harassed,” said Bishop Muriithi while at a press briefing at the church on Monday afternoon.
He accused the police officers and goons of collaborating during the attack where live bullets were fired, teargas was lobbed into the church and vehicles belonging to the worshippers and politicians were vandalized.
He questioned why two police vehicles were seen accompanying a Nissan matatu that ferried the goons to the scene, noting that the incident raises serious concerns on whether the National Police Service has been compromised by militia groups.
“Yesterday’s events unearth a grave and sad state in our nation. The police recklessly shot live bullets and threw teargas into the church. It is also evident that the goons who were throwing stones and carrying crude weapons were collaborating with the police in their attack,” said the presiding bishop.
“The burning of vehicles and deflating of tyres were done at the watch of police. This clearly portrays misuse of police service to achieve a selfish gain,” he added.
The bishop also refuted claims that the incident was staged by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and his supporters insisting that the events unfolded spontaneously.
The cleric told journalists that it was the church leaders together with the residents that helped Gachagua and his allies flee to safety through the village alleys after the situation got out of hand.
“If the incident was stage-managed like they are claiming, we would not have witnessed the extent of damage we saw. We are wondering when civilians were allowed to get access to weapons including teargas canisters which we thought were only in the hands of our disciplined forces. Similarly, it was through the intervention of the church leaders that the former DP managed to get to safety so we don’t think it was possible for him to stage-manage the incident,” he said.
Bishop Muriithi has called for a thorough and speedy investigations by
the Directorate of Criminal Investigations which would lead to the prosecution of those found culpable.
Further, the cleric has also demanded an apology from the security apparatus and political leaders who were involved in the incident adding that churches should not be used as arenas for settling political scores.
“The position of the church is that all are welcome to our places of worship regardless of their political affiliations, race and status in our society just for worship purposes and not for political reasons. We want to discourage our leaders from settling their scores in places of worship because there are many avenues where they can play politics. But it is not okay to desecrate the altar and launch an attack like the one we witnessed in the church on Sunday because what they did was wrong and the best they can get from doing so is earning curses,” he said.
Elsewhere, Mathira Member of Parliament Eric Wamumbi has distanced himself from the allegations linking him to the Sunday morning attack at the church.
Speaking at his office in Mathira on Monday, Wamumbi refuted claims that he orchestrated and financed the incident.
He said that the allegations made by the former deputy president linking him to the church violence were politically motivated and that the incident was a well-choreographed drama to paint the government in a bad light.
“I have heard the former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua linking me to the incident. He has alleged that the perpetrators had their breakfast and lunch at my residence and I want to confirm that those allegations are false,” said the legislator.
Wamumbi has insisted that he only focuses on empowerment programmes and constructive development programmes. He said that he was sad to see Kenyans being dragged into politics of lies, intimidation and manufactured chaos that is only meant to distract their attention from the ongoing development.
While calling for a speedy investigation into the matter, he said that he would be presenting himself to the DCI offices to record a statement in a bid to absolve himself from the claims linking him to the Sunday attack in Othaya.
Wamumbi also called on the former DP to also record a statement with the DCI to allow those responsible to be brought to book.
“I also want to urge the Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and DCI to speed up their investigations so that those who are responsible can face the full force of the law,” he said.
He also urged the political class to desist from using churches as avenues for political confrontations. Similarly, he called on the clergy to safeguard their altars from being turned into political battlegrounds.
“Let politicians do their politics away from the pulpits because churches are for worship and not political combat,” he said.
By Wangari Mwangi
