Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
Catholic bishops in Kenya have raised concern on the ongoing drought affecting counties in the arid and semi-arid areas in the country including Marsabit, Garissa and Isiolo Dioceses calling for “urgent and decisive action,” to be taken to help the affected victims. 
In a statement released Thursday, November 11, after a week-long meeting on the state of the country, the prelates have called on all the faithful in parishes and people of good will “to express solidarity with our affected brothers and sisters by donating food and giving other assistance.”
“No Kenyan should die of famine,” the Church leaders opined asking dioceses to find ways and means on how
donations from well-wishers can reach to the affected victims.
In their collective statement signed by the Chairman of Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) Archbishop Martin Kivuva Musonde of Mombasa Archdiocese, the bishops noted that response to the drought situation has been “very slow,” and appealed to government to respond “in a swift and coordinated to the situation by providing both short-term and long-term assistance and solutions to the affected populations to lessen suffering and avert a humanitarian crisis.”
Due to the protracted drought that has affected parts of the country from last year because of cumulative impact of poor rainy seasons coupled with other environmental factors, the Head of State President Uhuru Kenyatta on September 8, declared the drought a national disaster.
Members of the KCCB lamented that after 58 years of independence, the country is still “unable to come up with permanent solutions to the perennial droughts that affect the country every few years and appealed that “as a country we must wean ourselves from obsession with politics and sensationalism at the expense of other important issues of national concern.”
“It cannot be business as usual when Kenyans continue to starve and even die from droughts which can easily be managed through establishment of sound mitigation structures,” the warned.
Relating the frequent drought experience to global climate change and environmental degradation, the prelates observed that the country’s model of development seem to have led to “a culture of unsustainable degradation of our environment and depletion of our natural resources.”
They disclosed that the Catholic Church has been committed to environmental awareness campaign, educating citizens on the need for environmental conservation, and promoting “the work of God through supporting initiatives that create a safe environment for every human person to enjoy,” an initiative that the government through the Ministry of Environment and Forestry has embarked on as well.
They further noted that Kenya is blessed with a great land endowed with diverse natural resources which is God’s blessings hence “our inheritance to pass to the future generation.”
Calling upon government to help citizens in accessing affordable alternative energy to reduce the use of charcoal in the country, the Church leaders have also invited everybody to “plant as many trees as possible in order to conserve the environment.”
In conclusion, the prelates appealed to county government who are to converge for the 7th Annual Devolution conference to discuss on multi-level governance for climate action from Tuesday, November 23, to seriously take up environmental awareness campaign and “partner with faith-based organizations and Dioceses for maximum positive impact.”
“If we all act to conserve the environment, the effects of climate change that we are witnessing today in the form of perennial droughts, floods, food security, water-borne diseases and respiratory infections will be reduced to manageable levels,” they said.