CLERGY CLEANSES MACHAKOS RUGBY EVENT VENUE

Members of clergy in Lower Eastern who are members of National Council of Churches of Kenya and the Lower Eastern Inter-denominational forum have registered their dissatisfaction with some events in Machakos county.

They condemned the evil events that unfolded at Machakos town during the rugby tournament held at Machakos Sports Club.

Addressing the press in Machakos, the clergy took great exception to the great and irresponsible consumption and the lapse of moral values and common decency that was witnessed among the youth during the much publicised.

The speech was read by Archbishop Timothy Ndambuki, the chairman Lower Eastern Inter-denominational forum and national vice chairman of NCCK.

Ndambuki said students were in their midterm and attending the South Eastern Show and also drivers who got drunk in the course of their work since the alcohol was being sold by roadsides were some of the disturbing incidents.

“The youth were doing it in the guise of celebrating the rugby tournament. More so, we condemn in the strongest terms possible the selling of alcohol to school children,” Ndambuki said.

This, he said, endangered the lives and many road users key among them innocent children and women.

Ndambuki warned that development without morals is not development.

“The fact that the clergy have never been involved in the planning of these events has created a loophole in which no moral guidance is ever given  regarding the preservation of morality in the county,” the archbishop said.

The irate clergy posed some questions to both the county and central governments including, who licensed the selling of alcohol even in places that the alcohol Act that regulates its sale prohibits?

Where were the law enforcement officers when these beer sellers sold alcohol to underage youth and school children given the fact that this was being done publicly?

Also, does the government really support its own alcohol and drug fighting agency (Nacada) which has been working with the church to fight drug abuse in lower eastern?

They further claimed that it is possible that all politicians in Machakos county are in cohorts with some unknown forces to destroy the present generation as a strategy for their old guard to remain in power.

The clergy wants to know whether Nacada boss John Mututho had any business commenting on what happened in Machakos since he had done nothing about it when it was happening.

In regard to the rugby tournament, the enraged  clergy proposed that in future, all such events be made away from the town centre in a designated area and whose point of entry not to be main junction but a direct route from Mombasa road to that area. Also all such events should be licensed and overseen by Nacada and its officers be backed by police to enforce the law and arrest and prosecute all those deviate from the law.