Catholic church urges MPs to reject Education Bill

John Cardinal Njue at a past function. The Catholic church has asked MPs who are its members to oppose the Education Bill. Photo/PHOEBE OKALL

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  • Catholic church urges MPs to reject Education Bill

The Catholic Church has asked MPs who are its members to oppose the controversial Education Bill that stop religious organisations from sponsoring public schools.

Kisii Catholic Diocese Bishop Joseph Mairura disclosed that his church leadership in the country has asked MPs that are their faithful to oppose the Bill once it is presented for deliberations in Parliament.

“Our Cardinal (John Njue) has asked me to tell Catholic MPs to oppose all parliamentary Bills that are against the interest of our church. He has asked MPs who are our church members to read carefully the Bill and oppose it,” Bishop Mairura said.

He asked the West Mugirango MP James Gesami to lead the onslaught of the controversial Bill so that it is not enacted.

“The Bill wants to bar religious organisations from playing key roles of spiritually nurturing learners to be good citizens. If this succeeds, our schools will start producing Godless creatures and the society will be ruined,” Bishop Mairura said.

“If more Godless creatures are produced, then there will be more chaos in the world. If there are so many problems in the world today when we have only one Godless creator, Satan, what will happen when more of the kinds are produced?" he added.

He claimed the Bill is out to remove spiritual nurturing of learners despite the fact that the schools to be affected were built by the religious organisations long before the country attained its independence.

“Even our forefathers who donated land where those schools stand and which the government wants to take from us through this Bill will turn in their graves if that happens,” Bishop Mairura said.

He said the government had no right to take the plots on which such schools are built as they were donated to church sponsors to construct learning institutions and health facilities.

“Kenya is a religious nation. Let the roles the religious sponsors play in schools be recognised, failure to which they will take them over our death bodies,” Bishop Mairura said.

Bishop Mairura asked his flock in the diocese which covers Nyamira and Kisii counties not to discriminate any priests posted to serve in any parish in the region, saying they were equal to the task.

“Don’t harden the priesthood work and don’t direct me who to retain or remove from any parish as that is my role,” Bishop Mairura added.