By CISA
MURANGA, OCTOBER 7, 2022 (CISA) – The Catholic Diocese of Murang’a has donated about 1.8 million Kenyan shillings worth of aid to cushion the diocese of Marsabit against the ravaging drought in Northern Kenya.
In a detailed emergency relief report shared by Rt Rev James Maria Wainaina, bishop of Murang’a, on October 4, Bishop Wainaina said that the intervention was necessitated by the news of severe drought in northern Kenya and that the diocese of Murang’a runs a mission in North Horr sub-county, which is in the Catholic Diocese of Marsabit.
“In the wake of the current drought, it was necessary to make another emergency relief intervention like the one of last year. Consequently, we wrote letters to our Parishes, our friends, and a few of our suppliers, giving the Paybill number of an existing Emergency Account. Into this account, many of our friends have generously sent cash contributions,” wrote Bishop Wainaina on his Facebook page.
Bishop Wainaina was encouraged by the generous example of a community in Colorado, USA, served by Fr Isaac Mungai, a priest from his diocese, who upon seeing the drought situation on television rallied some faithful in his parish to assist in the first aforementioned appeal.
“All our parishes have actively and urgently collected dry cereals like maize, beans, and rice. Other provisions were also bought from supermarkets and offered. All these items have a long shelf life to withstand transport and the pre-distribution period. We commend our Deaneries, which have done very well to bring these contributions together, and even transported them to a central place at the Diocese level, at the CDM Secretariat. The staff at the Secretariat had to sort out all these contributions and then organize them and quantify them, taking records of where they come from and the amounts,” congratulated the bishop.
Bishop Wainaina also revealed that in the spirit of missionaries who supported their sons and daughters in the country they evangelized, he has agreed with Bishop Peter Kihara Kariuki IMC of Marsabit to continue supporting their mission in North Horr.
“We have since sent two lorries of donations in kind and a cheque to Marsabit. Our priest serving in North Horr, Fr. Dennis Mbogo, received the goods in the presence of the Local Ordinary Rt. Rev. Peter Kihara IMC. They were very appreciative,” he said.
Bishop Wainaina hailed the selfless contributions made by almost all ministries within the diocese of Murang’a praying that “the Lord, who is never outdone in generosity, may recompense each one a thousand times more.”
“This phase of the CDM MARSABIT EMERGENCY RELIEF intervention has been successfully done, and the initiative is now closed,” he said.
