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| Police tankers outside parliament |
The government has protested to the Vatican over what it terms as insensitive remarks by the Pope’s representative on the recent youth-led demonstrations.
In a protest note to the Embassy of the Holy See, the Nairobi government took issue with remarks attributed to Apostolic Nuncio to Kenya, Archbishop Hubertus van Megen.
The statements were reckless and in bad faith.
Apostolic Nuncio is the official Pope’s Representative in a country and holders of the position act as Vatican’s envoy in their host nations.
Apostolic Nuncio are appointed directly by the Pope.
The government accused Megen of making inflammatory, one-sided comments that appeared to ‘celebrate’ the protests and berate the government.
“Youths in the streets turned tables…turning tables in parliament, turning tables of the money changers, wanting to cleanse the temple of democracy, ” the diplomat is quoted in the letter as having said.
“Youths on the streets wanted to get Zacchaeus out of the tree, wanted to get Peter to admit to his betrayal,” he added.
Megen further states that Kenya’s politics will “have to change” after the “revolution” witnessed in Nairobi.
“If the government wants to allay the fear and the anger not only of the youths but also of all the citizens and all the hustlers of the great nation they cannot continue and do as if it’s business as usual.”
He added: “Business has to change because our youths mean business; ‘oppressors against the oppressed’; heavily armed security against poorly protected protestors; water cannons, teargas, live bullets against sticks and stones; explosions against shootings and feelings of protestors, the state machinery shooting freely at will.”
The words, which the county claimed are “undiplomatic”, were allegedly uttered on June 29, 2024 – four days after the historic storming of Parliament by the anti-government demonstrators.
In the protest note, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called out the Nuncio for being reprehensible and demonstrating unbecoming conduct for a distinguished member of the diplomatic corp.
“It is however regrettable that the above undiplomatic and inflammatory utterances by the Archbishop were one-sided and were made at a time of grave national crisis,” the ministry said in a statement seen by the Star.
“Without pointing out the broader context of government’s action as a responsible diplomat, the Nuncio chose to use his exalted position to berate the government of Kenya and its institutions.”
The protest note is dated August 12, 2024.
by LUKE AWICH