Pentecostal and Evangelical Formations in Kenya Chairman Stephen Ndicho.
The fallout between President William Ruto and the clergy intensified on Wednesday after a group allied to the Pentecostal Churches of Kenya took the Head of State to task over alleged rampant corruption in his government.
The group also complained about the abduction of Kenya Kwanza government critics, high taxes and poor state of health, among other issues affecting Kenyans.
Thirty Pentecostal Churches from Kenya, through their umbrella body, Clergy Against Control and Regulation of Churches in Kenya, said instead of addressing the main issues affecting Kenyans, Dr Ruto had resorted to offering donations to churches.
''We commend the Archbishop of the Nairobi Archdiocese, The Most Rev Philip Anyolo, for ordering the refund and return of money donated by President William Ruto to their Soweto Catholic Church last Sunday,’’ the clergy drawn from the Pentecostal and Evangelical Formations in Kenya said through their chairman Stephen Ndicho.
“In effect, this action has killed the Judas spirit of the Clergy receiving bribes from politicians to tilt their thinking and ways of doing things,” added Mr Ndicho who is a former speaker of the County Assembly of Kiambu.
''It is this unholy alliance between the religious organisations and the State that made the Church lose its voice in matters of correcting the government whenever it went wrong and committed transgressions and atrocities against the people,” the statement further reads.
The church leaders faulted the government for pushing on with the shift from the National Health Insurance Fund to the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) yet is evident that the move is doing more harm than good.
Killing enterprises
Other issues the clergy want to address include the intrusion of individuals’ privacy by the government as the Kenya Revenue Authority seeks to tax money transfers through mobile money pay bills.
They said the current tax regime is stifling the economy and killing enterprises.
Latest data from the Federation of Kenyan Employers shows that close to 45 per cent of salaried workers’ payslips are going to the government following Dr Ruto’s introduction of housing levy, SHIF and enhanced deductions for retirement schemes.
The church is also demanding the immediate constitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to prepare for the 2027 elections.
Another question raised is a comprehensive report on why criminals who have been killing Kenyan women and girls have not been stopped. They demanded swift action by the criminal justice system, including police and the Judiciary.
Their statement came days after similar attacks by the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Anglican Church of Kenya.
On November 17, 2024, the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi announced that it was returning the Sh2 million the Head of State gave for the construction of the Priest’s House and Sh600,000 to the choir church when he attended a church service at Soweto Catholic Church in Nairobi on Sunday, November 17, 2024.
The order to return the money was announced by Archbishop Anyolo who heads the Nairobi Metropolitan of Catholic Church maintaining that any donation from politicians contravenes the Public Fundraising Appeals Bill 2024.
Read: Nyanza clerics threaten to mobilise civil disobedience over alleged oppression by Ruto government
The Bill, which is under consideration by the National Assembly, seeks to set strict guidelines on fundraising whether direct or indirect.
“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,” said Archbishop Anyolo.
