The State was yesterday urged to give those accused of corrupt dealings a chance to defend themselves.

The Kenya Episcopal Conference chairman, Bishop Cornelius Korir, said the church supported the war on corruption being spearheaded by the Government.

He said no one should be spared "but the Government should not victimise anyone in the name of fighting corruption. I plead with Kenyans to desist from engaging themselves in corrupt activities."

The Eldoret Catholic Bishop was speaking after attending a Mass together with 26 bishops, among them Archbishops Ndingi Mwana a' Nzeki (Nairobi), Nicodemus Kirima (Nyeri), Zaccheus Okoth (Kisumu) and John Njenga (Mombasa) at Mary Immaculate Cathedral in Nyahururu.

Nyandarua DC Wilson Wanyanga supported Bishop Korir's sentiments, saying the church should pray for victory in the fight against corruption. He said the corrupt had a lot of money, which they could use to sway public opinion.

Mr Wanyanga was applauded when he called on Cabinet ministers to emulate the Catholic Church's unity, saying senior Government officials needed to seek a way of speaking in one voice and solving their differences amicably.

Bishop Korir said the country had lost billions of shillings since independence as individuals corruptly enriched themselves. He said it would take a long time for the country to recover from the plunder of 40 years.

He asked the Government to take steps to reduce road carnage.

"In Kenya we have no war like in the Sudan but our war are the deaths caused by the accidents on our roads. The Government should also improve the state of our roads which have been identified as a major contributor to motor accidents," he said.