Faith leaders in Kenya are warning against continued violent demonstrations, saying they could lead the country on the path to self-destruction.
Demonstrations this week against the high cost of living have left at least 23 people dead, according to a spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, Jeremy Laurence.
“The UN Human Rights Office is very concerned by the widespread violence, and allegations of unnecessary or disproportionate use of force, including the use of firearms, by police during protests in Kenya. Reports say up to 23 people have been killed and dozens injured in the demonstrations in the past week,” Laurence said in a statement July 14.
More than 300 people have been arrested in connection with the protests.
Opposition leader Raila Omolo Odinga, who called for the protests, has promised more demonstrations next week, and that forecast has caught the attention of Church leaders in the East African country.
In a collective statement July 14, a cross-section of religious leaders, including representatives of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), and the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM), cautioned President William Ruto against allowing the country to descend on the path of an insurrection.
“The suffering individual Kenyans are experiencing is pushing them into hopelessness that can easily inspire insurrection,” said the religious leaders, in the statement signed by the Chairman of KCCB, Archbishop Martin Kivuva Musonde, NCCK Chairman Archbishop Timothy Ndambuki, and SUPKEM chairman Al Hajj Hassan Ole Naado,