THE CHURCH MUST OBJECTively take part and state its stand on salient social economic and political issues facing the country. The Church should advocate truth and good moral judgment.

It is therefore regrettable that after 2002 elections, the Church and majority of its leaders abandoned the clamour for a just society. Unlike their worthy predecessors, majority of the clergy sank in dark deep pit of partisan politics. Today the Church seems blind to political exploitation and oppression of the masses by a small cabal of political elite.

Regrettably, the Church has failed to embrace the constitutional guarantees of freedom of worship and speech to confront some repugnant vices. The Church has betrayed the trust of its flock in not responding to high levels of hopelessness and despair in the society.

The past bold, truthful and gallant leaders of the Church - the Muges and Okullus - must be whirling in their graves on what is going wrong.

The Njoyas, Ndikarus (wa Teresia) should be worried that the Church is losing its crusade for good governance and respect of human rights.

The days when the Church identified with and addressed contemporary issues of the society seem to have ended. Engaging in revival gospel only cannot be enough.

The Church recently made a belated admission that some of its own leaders had a hand in the post-election violence. No wonder, the institution did not have the face to truthfully confront the commissions and omissions of political competitors in the 2007 General Election and the aftermath.

UNLIKE THEIR MUSLIM BROTHERS, church leaders have had solace in silence for the last six years at expense of the nation. They remained bystanders as the country was taken in circles by politicians in the failed constitutional review. A section of church leaders adopted a partisan stand and sat at Bomas as delegates and sympathisers of political parties enjoying taxpayers' monies.

The Church, in hypocrisy, withheld guidance of its flock in the referendum. Even after the birth of post-referendum hatreds, it did not pursue an active agenda of reconciliation or healing. It kept mum as tribalism blossomed, only to erupt in the post-election violence.

It's an open secret that after 2002 elections, the State perfected official bias in public offices appointment, making unfair distribution of public office appointments.

Today, some constituencies have no single senior public appointee, whereas the favoured constituencies boast of excess related appointments.

These imbalances must be corrected and the voice of the Church, among other players, is critical. The Church uttered no word when innocent unemployed youth in central Kenya were wantonly executed on allegations of having allegiances to certain sects.

Amidst insecurity in parts of the country, the church leaders' voice is unheard. The State mockeries of establishing commissions, whose reports are never acted on, seem to sit pretty with the Church as taxpayers money is misused.

On the current coalition Government and President Kibaki succession intrigues, the church leadership has opted to assume that all is okay and kept off the debate.

The Church should wake up and strongly and consistently demand constitutional and legal reforms.

Mr Kimani is an advocate of the High Court.