National Assembly Deputy Speaker Gladys Shollei has once again criticized the Catholic Bishops for what she describes as lamenting without proposing solutions.
In an interview, Shollei condemned the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) for disclosing their discussions with President William Ruto regarding the outstanding debts owed to faith-based health facilities.
“Good manners and proper ethics dictate that if I have had a conversation with the head of state about an issue, I should refrain from making a public announcement about it. ”
“That is simply poor etiquette,” Shollei remarked. “They should not emerge publicly to complain about the state of affairs without offering solutions,” she added. Shollei criticized last week’s decision by the bishops to publicly denounce the government, emphasizing that clergy should seek a private audience with the president rather than appealing to public sentiment.
“If they genuinely wanted to address the issues with the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) or Social Health Authority (SHA), they should request a meeting with the head of state to present their observations and proposed solutions, along with how they can assist in resolving the matter,” Shollei emphasized.
Given that faith-based organizations manage a substantial number of health facilities and medical training institutions in the country, the bishops acknowledged in their press conference that prior meetings with Ruto had been unproductive despite assurances received.
However, Shollei contends that the church made a mistake by issuing a public statement, arguing that it should instead convey hope to the Kenyan people. “The church should not be promoting despair, warning everyone that everything is falling apart and inciting anxiety. ”
“The church is meant to convey hope and sustain our faith,” Shollei noted.
