Ruto ‘generosity’ rolls back Gen Z gains

President William Ruto on Sunday threw a church congregation into raptures with a donation of Sh20 million and the promise to mobilise friends to raise another Sh100 million.

Members of the Jesus Winner Ministry at Roysambu, Nairobi, were understandably overjoyed that their fund-raising effort for the construction of a new church building was bearing fruit.

President Ruto ably demonstrated that his generosity knows no bounds, especially in giving to the church, and we can expect that in the coming weeks, months and years, his diary will be overflowing with invites to grace similar functions.

It is instructive, however, that he found it necessary to justify his generosity. He had to explain why he is giving cash donations to churches because he knows that he is acting against the letter and spirit of the law governing participation of public officers in public collections.

President Ruto also knows that he is acting against his own edict from last year, restating the law banning state officers from ‘harambee’ fundraisers.

Illogical justification

His turnaround came with illogical justification around his faith and the desire to give to God, and his extensive study of the Bible, in which he was unable to find any chapter or verse barring churches from accepting donations.

President Ruto should understand that Kenya is not governed by his personal religious convictions but by the Constitution and the laws.

He would also do well to read up on the history of why regulations barring public officers from harambee rallies, first enforced under President Mwai Kibaki’s government, were introduced.

There is nothing wrong with giving. Indeed, Kenyans are well known for their generosity in giving not just to churches, but more worthy causes around helping friends, neighbours and colleagues facing challenges around medical bills or bereavement.

However, the harambee spirit has been grossly abused by those in leadership to buy their way into public affection for personal gain. There are also legitimate questions around the source of much of the cash politicians throw around in those grotesque displays, which are disguised as charity but are actually aimed at buying political support.

When President Ruto made a reference to his study of the Bible, which does dictate that contributions be rejected, he was obviously referring to events of last year when the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi returned his contribution to the Soweto Catholic Church.

A number of other churches also came up with restrictions on donations from politicians and other public officers.

Proceeds of crime

The rationale is simple. Churches did not want to tarnish their reputations by accepting what could be dirty money. This is not to say that the huge wads of cash that politicians love to make shows of giving are necessarily the proceeds of crime, but there will be legitimate queries on whether those are actually taxpayer funds being misused for personal gratification. If indeed public money is being diverted by those in leadership to show off their generosity, that actually amounts to theft.

In any case, a genuine giver need not seek publicity unless his main motivation is to be seen giving, translating into some votes come the next election.

Dr Ruto’s public displays of ‘generosity’ will take us back to the dark days under President Daniel arap Moi’s one-party regime when politicians traversed the country dishing out sackfuls of cash in rather obscene and primitive displays.

Reneging on his own pledge from last year is yet another indicator that the gains from the Gen Z revolt of last year are being swiftly rolled back. The youth-led protests against the cost of living, tone-deaf leadership, unchecked corruption, return of dictatorial tendencies, and the arrogance and greed displayed by those in leadership shook the Ruto government to the core; and also woke up Kenyans of all persuasions to the need for eternal vigilance.

We cannot afford to turn back the clock just because the government was provided some reprieve by the incorporation of opposition chief Raila Odinga’s troops into the feeding trough. President Ruto must be reminded that he is not above the law.

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National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wa flew all the way to London, presumably at taxpayers ' expense, to subject himself to a thorough beating at the hands of Al Jazeera interviewer Mehdi Hasan. The only gain for him was in the opportunity to show a global audience that he has joined the select club of his Dear Leader and others who wear red-bottomed shoes. I don’t have a few hundred thousand lying around to afford such footwear, but I’m sure a can of red dye can radically transform my well-worn collection.

gaithomail@gmail.com; @MachariaGaitho