Homa Bay Diocese Bishop Philip Anyolo on Wednesday said they were “obliged to tell their members in the 38 parishes the status of the church projects in the region”.
The documents give details on the land ownership feud between the county and the Catholic church, dating back to 2014.
Mr Obado said there were proper legal mechanisms of addressing land disputes but not through the distribution of leaflets to the public.
The Catholic Church has confirmed that they were authors and distributors of the leaflets that have escalated a land ownership row between Migori governor Okoth Obado and the local diocese.
Homa Bay Diocese Bishop Philip Anyolo on Wednesday said they were “obliged to tell their members in the 38 parishes the status of the church projects in the region”.
“The Catholic community must know how their funds were spent and the challenges encountered,” he said. The Diocese covers Homa Bay and Migori counties.
“The governor should not read malice in this move because this is a normal activity within the church,” added Bishop Anyolo.
The leaflets are being distributed to the more than 100,000 members in Migori’s eight sub-counties.
The documents give details on the land ownership feud between the county and the Catholic church, dating back to 2014.
The leaflets were dropped at the various parishes for the Catholic faithful and the public. They are distributed by officials who accused the county government of grabbing land belonging to the Church.
The leaflets were first distributed to the faithful in the eight sub-counties last Sunday.
The Church claims to have lost Sh25 million since 2014 when the dispute began, due to non-occupancy of the hostels built on the land in Kitere, Rongo sub-county.
The hostels were targeting students from the adjacent Rongo University College.
Mr Obado, however, dismissed the leaflets and said the leaflets were “materials calculated to taint his image ahead of the polls so as to lose his seat and my supporters should reject this scheme”.
“Timing of the leaflets is telling…they are trying to lure their members to back my opponent because the land issue has been slotted as part of their sermons in the parishes in the coming Sundays,” said the county chief.
Mr Obado said there were proper legal mechanisms of addressing land disputes but not through the distribution of leaflets to the public.
“Or are they discriminating me on religious grounds because I am not a member of the Catholic (Church)?” he asked.
The governor, who is defending his seat on the Orange Democratic Movement ticket, is facing former Cabinet minister Ochillo Ayacko — an Independent candidate — in the governorship battle.
“It’s wrong for some church leaders to author and distribute leaflets to smear my name, with only two weeks to elections,” said Mr Obado.
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