Kenyan bishops urge government to boost security amid recent violence

Published: 2006-11-14

NAIROBI, Kenya (CNS) -- Kenya's Catholic bishops have urged the government to step up security and arrest politicians preaching ethnic hatred that has led to violence. The bishops said in a Nov. 13 statement that Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki's government was reluctant to deal with the violence. The bishops urged politicians to speak only life-giving words. "Discriminatory remarks about other individuals and ethnic groups can kill," they said. "On the other hand, the word spoken with respect can give life, bring reconciliation and build unity." Seven people were killed in Kuresoi in the Rift Valley province, where clashes in 1992 killed dozens and displaced thousands. Eight people also were killed in early November in Nairobi's slums after days of violence between rival gangs. Kenya was marred by internal ethnic conflict between 1992 and 1997.

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