The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) has asked President William Ruto to offer progressive leadership by reaching out to his political nemesis and opposition leader Raila Odinga for the sake of the country’s peace.

The truce between the two leaders, they stated, will avert attempts to plunge the country into the risk of violence that hazards compounding the numerous economic challenges bedevilling the nation.

While addressing journalists in separate events, the bishops who opposed Odinga’s call for mass action urged the former premier to avoid the route of demonstrations that risk resurrecting mutiny and instead seek other avenues to address the merit-worthy issues affecting the citizenry.

Led by Philip Anyolo, the Archbishop of Nairobi, the catholic priests upheld that while the constitution provides for rallies and picketing, freedom does not allow forceful takeover or destabilization of a constitutional government.

Anyolo, in a statement he read after attending St Peter the Rock Church family day in Thika, Kiambu County urged Odinga to retreat and consider embarking on a journey to highlight issues and seek solutions.

The archbishop at the same time urged President Ruto to address the pleas of distressed Kenyans including but not limited to food insecurity precipitated by prolonged drought, and high cost of living among others.

Anyolo stressed that the solution to healing the country’s numerous challenges would only be found if Kenyans and its elected leaders humble themselves and agree to talk and dialogue.

The bishops also called out the in-opportunity of bloating further, the country’s public expenditure, by appointing a huge number of Chief Administrative Secretaries, at a time Kenyans are struggling to survive.

The priests took issue with Ruto’s administration days after the Head of State completed the creation of the most bloated and most expensive executive in the country’s recent history.

President Ruto’s 50 CAS nominees are expected to cost Kenyan taxpayers Sh 460 million every year in salaries, a decision the bishops described as too costly for a country that is on the verge of crawling financially.

Having demonstrated that Kenyans overwhelmingly voted for peace as witnessed in the last year’s August general elections, the bishops urged Kenyans to refuse to be lured into the past politics of confrontation, violence and seeking “justice” by looting and destruction of property.