By OSDP
Worth Noting:
- The Office of the Spouse of the Deputy President (OSDP) held a widows meeting at Gede where 700 widows were expected to attend, but more than 2,000 attended.
- A trailer load of foodstuffs was distributed to the widows who complained of the deteriorating farming in the region, saying their mangoes were rotting in the shamba, korosho market destroyed by hawking and cotton growing no longer in existence.
Clergy from the Christian and Muslim faith held a meeting with the spouse of the Deputy President Pastor Dorcas Rigathi on the fourth day of her working visit in Kilifi County.
The more than 60 clergy, led by Bishop Joseph Maisha and Sheikh Ustadh Hassan had a lengthy discussion on the state of the vulnerable in the county.
Pastor Dorcas raised her concerns about the killing of the elderly by the youth on suspicion of them being witches.
“The elderly, who have grey hair, dye their hair because the youth call their elderly fathers and mothers witches. Our children are breaking the commandments of God, and the law of the land,” said Pastor Dorcas.
She also pointed to the high number of widows in the county, saying that the men were dying at a high rate.
The Office of the Spouse of the Deputy President (OSDP) held a widows meeting at Gede where 700 widows were expected to attend, but more than 2,000 attended.
A trailer load of foodstuffs was distributed to the widows who complained of the deteriorating farming in the region, saying their mangoes were rotting in the shamba, korosho market destroyed by hawking and cotton growing no longer in existence.
Pastor Dorcas urged the clergy not to lose hope but engage the widows, orphans, those in addictions and disabilities through their places of worship.
“Let us do the work God called us to do and engage our people through reaching out to them in the streets, mentorship, and discipleship,” said Pastor Dorcas.
She added that the psychosocial spiritual model of rehabilitation was working with hundreds rehabilitated from alcohol, drugs and substances including some from the drug dens of Shimanzi in Mombasa.
She also told the clergy to watch out against western philosophies that were advocating for same sex marriage.
“Philosophies from abroad tell us women to marry women, and men to marry men. If we are not careful as the clergy, and watch this as it happens, we shall be judged harshly,” she said.
Bishop Maisha urged the clergy from Kilifi County to adopt the programs of reaching the vulnerable and take them to their churches and the grassroots.
“Her Excellency has expressed her heart to us, and shared her vision. The boy child is dying at a first rate, and we are losing a generation, and if we don’t reverse the trend, it shall be a big problem for us,” said Bishop Maisha.
“Let’s join hands with her and do this great work, that this vision may expand, and I know in a few years, we shall see a big change in this country.”
Sheikh Hassan also acknowledged the ongoing work following the visit of Shimo la Tewa Borstal Institution where boys 15-18 years old are committed from the courts.
The problem of alcohol, drug, and substance abuse has affected the youth irrespective of religion, cutting across the Christian, Muslim and Hindu faithful.
Pastor Dorcas also had a meeting with the Kilifi Governor Gideo Mungaro about actualizing her programs in Kilifi County.
The First Lady, Kilifi County, Susan Mungaro accompanied Pastor Dorcas to the medical camp in Ganze Constituency, widows meeting in Gede, and Pwani University meeting.
The Association of Pentecostal and Evangelical Clergy of Kenya (APECK) Chair Kilifi County Bishop Amos Lewa also called on the support of all clergy in reaching the vulnerable and building the nation.
Churches and mosques are in the thousands in the Republic of Kenya and can reach thousands of people upon opening of their places of worship for the vulnerable.
