Kenya’s Catholic Church on Monday – rejected President William Ruto and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja’s Ksh5.8 million donations to the Catholic church in Soweto.
The new turn of events comes as the fallout from the Catholic Bishop’s strong criticism of President Ruto last week continues to rattle feathers.
During a church service on Sunday, November 17, President Ruto donated Ksh600,000 to Soweto Catholic church in Nairobi for choir members and Ksh2 million that would be used to construct the father’s house.
The Head of State further promised to donate an additional Ksh3 million that would be channeled to the church’s account to purchase a church bus. During the event, Governor Sakaja donated Ksh200,000 to the same church.
“These funds will be refunded to the respective donors. Furthermore, the promised additional Ksh3 million for the construction of the Fathers’ house and the donation of a parish bus by the President is now declined,” Bishop Anyolo.
Bishop Anyolo noted that the donations made by the two senior government officials contravened the Public Fundraising Appeals Bill 2024 which states that any person who solicits or receives money or a benefit conducts a fundraising appeal regardless of whether the representation made was direct or indirect.
According to him, the Catholic bishops have consistently maintained a firm stance on politicians donating money to churches, due to ethical concerns and the need to safeguard the church from being used for political purposes.
In his statement, the archbishop accused a section of politicians of using church events such as fundraisers and gatherings as platforms for political self-promotion.
He went ahead to caution the political class to refrain from turning the pulpit into a stage for political rhetoric, especially actions that undermine the sanctity of worship spaces.
“The Church is called to uphold integrity by refusing contributions that may inadvertently compromise its independence or facilitate unjust enrichment. Political leaders are urged to demonstrate ethical leadership by addressing the pressing issues raised by the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops,” Archbishop Anyolo noted.
“The bishops have consistently maintained a firm stance on politicians donating money to churches, highlighting the ethical concerns and the need to safeguard the Church from being used for political purposes,” he added.
While declining the donations, Bishop Anyolo advised the Head of State to fulfil the demands made by the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops including ending political wrangles, violations of human rights, the culture of lies, unfulfilled promises, and misplaced priorities.
The decision to decline Ruto and Sakaja’s donations followed an uproar by a section of Kenyans who embarked on a campaign to apply pressure on the Soweto Catholic Church to return a Ksh5.8 million gift.
According to some Kenyans, the cash donations from politicians were a conflict of interest and thus needed to be refunded. Kenyans flooded the Nairobi archbishop’s email with messages detailing reasons why the cash donation needed to be returned.