Kenyans must be really tired of endless lies, betrayals and hypocrisy from our moral gatekeepers. For how long must we sit and watch the church and state conspire to fool and ridicule our intelligence? What use is it for a leader of the church to conspire against its flock, not once but twice in one year and still expect believers to remain followers of their teachings?

Bishop Njue has spoken for the Catholic fraternity. I hope to God that that fraternity was limited to fellow bishops and not to the entire Catholic followers. If the latter is the case, then this country could be in bigger trouble. If the shepherds are lost in our political wilderness like they seem to be now, there is no hope the flock will find their way home.

President Kibaki and Catholic Bishops think the ODM Alliance have no business demanding for minimum constitutional amendments prior to next year's elections because they were responsible for the defeat of the new constitution last year. In their mind, these are the real hypocrites who refuse to accept a new constitution but a few months later begin agitating for minimum reforms!

Let us start with the Catholic Bishops and a few of their friends in other churches under the umbrella of the National Christian Council of Kenya. Since Kenyatta's era up to the end of Moi's regime, these were the voices of reason in the most difficult period in Kenya's political history. If jogging their memory can help, Bishop Mwana wa Nzeki became a national hero and a household name because he stood for the truth and impartiality in his days in Nakuru. Bishop Alexander Muge lost his life in that struggle. Bishop Henry Okullu of Maseno South is no more. Bishop Njoya is still alive and semi retired. Dr. Gitari too is retired. Those were the days when the church was the church and its shepherds knew better than to abandon their flock in the wilderness.

What the bishops did to their flock in the run up to the 2005 referendum would have been unthinkable during that era. It was a betrayal that must have made Alexander Muge, Henry Okullu, Cardinal Otunga and Cardinal Sin turn in their graves. When our bishops opted to sit on the fence and let their flock graze as they wished, it was the height of irresponsible leadership and blatant pandering to the doctrine of political correctness.

This selective memory of our bishops can be quite baffling when you come to think about it. These are the same people who were at Ufungamano when Mutava Musyimi coerced the opposition alliance in 2002 to sign on paper that when the alliance formed the next government they would ensure the new constitution Moi had scuttled on the eve of the elections would be ready in 100 days after talking over power! If one may want to ask; which constitution did they have in mind to which they were committing the new leaders? The Ghai Commission Draft which was adopted at Bomas or the bastardised Wako Draft?

The Catholic bishops may e holy men of God but they should know that when 3.5 million Kenyans rejected the new constitution against 2.5 Kenyans who wanted it, the Kenyan majority had spoken. That voice was not the voice of Raila, Kalonzo, Uhuru, Mudavadi and one hundred other MPs that led the campaign against it. Therefore anybody who is in his right senses cannot today attribute the rejection of the referendum to a handful of Kenyans who merely read the mood of Kenyans and exploited it. It is also important to remind the bishops that while they opted not to guide their flock either way, an equally stronger and well endowed force, led by President Kibaki and a galaxy of ministers vigorously campaigned for the very constitution. When they lost, Koigi wa Wamwere went on a one month fasting period while President Kibaki went on air to accept defeat.

The Catholic Bishops need to appreciate basic reasons why the new constitution was rejected by Kenyans. And these Kenyans were found to be the majority in seven out of eight provinces. The constitution was resoundingly rejected in Coast, Eastern, Nairobi, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley and Western Provinces. If this constitution was that good according to the Catholic bishops, how come only Kenyans in Central Province voted for it? Is it fair to suggest that if something is good for Central Province then it must be good for the rest of Kenya?

Three and a half million Kenyans and not the ODM rejected the constitution. Two and a half million Kenyans and not the Banana team voted for the constitution.

Those who supported the constitution had their good reasons for it. They wanted the presidency to remain strong and in control of all national resources. They wanted the presidency to continue playing God with our lives; hiring and firing us at will, opening and closing parliament at will, lording it over the judiciary and dishing out state resources for political expediency. In a nutshell, they wanted President Kibaki to continue in the footsteps of Daniel Arap Moi in both style and deed. And it was in their interest that the President retained those powers.

Ironically, the original Ghai draft had dramatically revised the government structure and devolved the presidency substantially. It had devolved the central government, vested more powers on parliament and created the position of prime minister to head the government in parliament. Regional governments were provided for together with clear funding procedures. Because parliament was made powerful, the presidency would not dispose of national resources at whim. He would not dish out public offices to cronies, relatives and friends at will. This was what alarmed the president's men and they regrouped to scuttle if not bastardize the document. When they failed to scuttle it, they sought the services of one Simon Nyachae and Amos Wako to do the dirty work of defrauding Kenyans of their preferred constitution.

They altered the document beyond recognition.

President Kibaki should be a statesman enough to state the reasons why Kenyans and not the ODM rejected the constitution. I can bet you my last shilling that had Kibaki not been in State House at the time at the referendum, I would have seen him at the ODM rally holding hands with the ODM luminaries.

He would have continued with his crusade against big government as he did in mid 2002 when he realised that the Kanu/ NDP juggernaut was about to send the opposition parties into political oblivion. At that time President Kibaki was at the forefront for a weaker presidency, a more powerful parliament and devolved government. All these views are well articulated in the document that Ghai used to prepare the draft.

It was the view of DP and the official opposition in parliament at the time that it was time Parliament controlled the resources of the nation.

When President Kibaki reneged on these views, Kenyans felt betrayed and they retaliated with their vote.

When Kibaki signed the Musyimi covenant to deliver the constitution in a hundred days after taking office, nobody had held a gun on his head. When he signed the Memorandum of Understanding for the structure of Narc government alongside Kijana Wamalwa, Charity Ngilu, Kipruto Kirwa, Moody Awori, George Saitoti, Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka, nobody held a gun to his head. On both occasions he was a willing accomplice and a consenting adult.

Under the circumstances, let us be honest and accept one fact; that neither President Kibaki, his Catholic bishops nor any body in government are interested in giving Kenyans a new constitution. For this reason, there is no other alternative except for Kenyans to continue demanding for a new constitution until they will find a leader who can lead them through it.

That leadership cannot be found in the present regime.

This regime is full of characters that cannot be taken for their word. They have no respect for promises they make even if they put their fingerprints on those promises.

It is full of praise singers and court poets that cannot tell the emperor when he is naked.