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Kenya: Catholic Church Calls for Help as Crisis Hits Millions Print E-mail
Written by CISA   
Wednesday, 01 October 2008
With over 5 million people starving due to drought and several million others struggling with rising inflation, the Catholic Church in Kenya has expressed concern over the plight of the poor.

The church wants the government to urgently create "legislation and policies that cushion the poor who are actually the majority in this country," said Archbishop Peter Kairo, chairman of the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission of the bishops' conference.

The archbishop also challenged private businesses to balance the need for profit with sensitivity to the poor and vulnerable. "It is regrettable that despite the problems our economy is facing, many corporations are recording super profits, which barely trickle down to the masses."

The global economic crisis spurred by fuel and food shortages has worsened matters for Kenyans who are reeling from the massive disruption brought about by the post-election violence in January. Inflation rose to above 30 percent in May, the highest in over a decade.

"While most Kenyans bemoan the situation, hardest hit are the poor," Kairo said. "This lower income group tends to spend most of its earnings on food, while the middle and upper income groups spend about a third of their earnings on food."

He quoted a survey conducted by the Jesuit Hakimani Centre which showed that in 16 slums in Nairobi, residents spend 53 per cent of their income on food.

"The prices of fuel, electricity, fertilizers, maize meal, wheat flour, bread, meat, green vegetables and cooking fat have increased considerably," the archbishop said.

He also reminded the government about the unresolved plight of the internally displaced persons, thousands of whom are still languishing in misery months after the state embarked on a largely cosmetic resettlement programme.

"The IDPs are the most affected in this whole economic situation. Are they still getting their basic requirements from the government? Is the ten thousand shillings compensation adequate to rebuild their lives in view of the current economic situation?"
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 30 September 2008 )