NAIROBI, Kenya – The leadership of Christ is the Answer Ministries (CITAM) has issued a statement condemning what it described as the “bloodletting of the innocent” and a deepening culture of impunity in the handling of peaceful protests across the country.
In a press release dated June 18, CITAM Presiding Bishop Rev. Calisto Odede lamented the unexplained death of teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang in police custody, and the recent shooting of hawker Boniface Kariuki, who was gunned down at close range by a police officer during protests in Nairobi’s CBD.
“They seem to have cheapened human life and are operating with absolute impunity,” Rev. Odede said, adding that the deaths have ignited collective national grief that leaders cannot afford to ignore.
The bishop also questioned reports of armed gangs allegedly deployed to attack peaceful demonstrators, suggesting a calculated attempt to delegitimise the protests.
“Some joker still thinks this is a game and sends a bunch of armed goons to beat up innocent demonstrators and destroy property… Whose goons were they?”
“You Shall Not Murder”
Rev. Odede invoked the biblical commandment “You shall not murder,” urging leaders to treat the unfolding crisis with the urgency and moral clarity it demands.
He said the blood of young Kenyans—like that of Abel in the Bible—was “crying out for justice.”
“Justice must be done through the arrest and prosecution of the entire line of perpetrators and complicit individuals,” he said. “This cannot be atoned for by mere resignations.”
The church leader criticized what he described as a systemic culture of cover-ups, lies, and institutional inaction, calling on the government to abandon denialism and instead engage with public demands, especially from the youth mobilizing both online and offline.
“The concerns raised by the so-called ‘keyboard warriors’ need to be addressed—not dismissed as threats to national security,” he added.
A Call for Leadership and Moral Responsibility
Rev. Odede warned that continued silence or downplaying of the crisis by those in power could lead to further erosion of public trust in state institutions.
He likened the moment to the biblical judgment on King Belshazzar—“Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin”—symbolising the weighing and rejection of failed leadership.
CITAM joins a growing number of religious institutions, civil society groups, and international partners calling for accountability over police brutality and custodial deaths in Kenya.
The statement concludes with a firm plea: for justice to be served, for impunity to be uprooted, and for national leaders to demonstrate humility, moral courage, and genuine empathy.
“We trust that sensitive, proper, and appropriate action shall be taken to restore national confidence,” the statement said.
