William Ruto, who became Kenya’s president two years ago on the back of the Christian vote, is visibly shaken to see that church leaders of all faiths have lost faith in him over the past few months – calling him a savior. is being seen less and more. As the greedy Bible tax collector.
In his run to victory, some of his most ardent evangelical supporters dubbed him “David,” after the biblical shepherd boy who rose to become king.
The opposition christened him the “Vice Jesus”, accusing him of using Christianity to gain political capital as he attended church services from Catholic masses to congregations of obscure sects. used to do
He wore the appropriate religious attire for each setting, occasionally knelt in prayer and occasionally shed tears from sermons.
After that, he credited God for his electoral success, and continued the practice of criss-crossing the country to attend a different church every Sunday.
But after his government strongly opposed the tax hike, the 57-year-old acquired a new nickname: “Zacchaeus” — Swahili for Zacchaeus, the wealthy and unpopular Jericho tax collector featured in the Bible. is
The president has always said that if people want better public services and a reduction in the country’s debt burden, they have to pay.
In the past two years, payroll taxes have gone up, fuel sales tax has doubled and people are also paying a new housing levy and health insurance tax that have not benefited many Kenyans.
When massive anti-tax protests broke out in June, youth leaders, known as Gen Zs, also criticized churches for getting too close to politicians and allowing them to preach from their pulpits. Called
Their anger forced the government. to withdraw a controversial finance bill that included further tax hikes; – and it woke up the churches, whose pastors began to openly criticize Ruto and his policies.
It was also an important development because the economy of faith is big business in a country where more than 80% of the population is Christian – and a fundraiser with the right politician can greatly improve the church’s fortunes.
Last month, Tricia Verimo, founder of Faith Evangelistic Ministries (Fem), a church in the capital Nairobi where Ruto and his family have frequented, suggested that their King David was returning to the field where The sheep grazed.
“As a voter, I am ashamed,” he said in his sermon.
Another sermon by Rev Tony Kiyama of the River of God Church recently went viral when he called out Ruto’s government for “not serving the cause of God but an evil”, referring to the recent protests. , rising cost of living and corruption every day
The harshest criticism was last week’s statement by the Catholic bishops, who carry a lot of prestige and influence in Kenya.
He accused Ruto’s government of perpetuating a “culture of lies”, citing unfulfilled campaign promises.
“Fundamentally, it seems that the truth does not exist, and if it does, it is only what the government says,” said the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Kenya, citing corruption, greed and excessive taxation. He also emphasized on which is strangling the economy.
One bishop described Kenya as an “Orwellian dystopian authoritarian” state, where dissent was met with “intimidation, kidnapping or even murder”.
This was a reference to the 60 people and 1,300 others killed during the anti-tax protests. According to Kenya’s state-run National Commission for Human Rights, another 74 people were reported abducted and 26 disappeared in the past five months.
After a strong statement by the bishops, the church followed suit. A $40,000 (£32,000) donation made by Ruto was rejected when he visited the Soweto Catholic Church in Nairobi last Sunday. – The Archbishop of Nairobi cited “moral concerns and the need to protect the Church from being used for political purposes”.
Many Kenyan Christians are Catholic – about 10 million people, or 20% of the population, according to government statistics.
Other Christians belong to a variety of evangelical churches and other denominations, including the Anglican Church of Kenya and the Presbyterian Church.
And the influence of the Catholic Church in Kenya extends beyond its congregation due to extensive investment in education, health care and other social programs.
It has also been angered by the chaotic transition to a new social health insurance scheme, in which the government owes millions of dollars to faith-based hospitals.
The bishop’s candid assessment of the state of the nation has reminded Kenyans of the role of church leaders when they pushed for a return to multi-party democracy in the 1990s.
Brave clerics like Ndingi Mwana a’Nzeki of the Catholic Church, Alexander Mog, Henry Okullu and David Gitari of the Anglican Church and Timothy Njoya of the Presbyterian Church fearlessly challenged the oppressive and one-party rule of then President Daniel Arap Moi.
But analysts say that under Moi’s successors – Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta, both Catholics – the clerics lost their voice.
“Under President William Ruto, matters worsened as key elements of the church were apparently relegated to the feeding trough,” veteran journalist and columnist Macharia Gethu wrote this week in Kenya’s Daily Nation newspaper. , suggested that “the churches were bribed into silence”. .
The Catholic bishop’s stance has received support from other denominations as well as Muslim clerics – despite widespread faith-based support for Ruto, who has previously been criticized for his hardline stance on gay rights and his conservative views on abortion. It was because of ideas.
A joint statement by some Pentecostal and evangelical leaders also praised the bishops for their bravery and “unthinkable” in rejecting Ruto’s money.
Archbishop Jackson Ole Spieth, head of the Anglican Church of Kenya, who led national prayers on the day Ruto was declared the winner of the presidential race, joined the Catholic bishops in condemning what he called “increasing mismanagement, impunity, and widespread rights violations”.
“Under the circumstances, we should not just fold our hands and pray for miracles,” said Ole Spieth, adding that the Catholic bishops reflected the sentiments of many Kenyans.
Baptist cleric Daniel Wambua added that religious leaders are now determined to end their “transactional relationship” with the state.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Abubakar Beni, head of the North Rift Council of Imams and Preachers, urged the government to take the bishop’s remarks as advice rather than criticism.
At first, Ruto and his allies hit back – with one accusing the bishop of spreading “misinformation”.
But analysts say Ruto, who often uses the scriptures to respond to critics, should be wary of direct confrontations with churches because even small ones can have thousands of followers who could fuel his re-election. Can negatively affect bids.
The president is already facing a rebellion in parts of his political base after 2022. Impeachment of former Vice President Regathi Gachagua last month
He fell to handling the anti-tax protests, which rocked Ruto’s administration.
The president’s close aide, MP Oscar Sodi, has taken to X to eat some humble pie, apologizing to the Catholic bishops on behalf of the government.
Ruto himself has since softened his response to the mounting criticism, saying he has listened to the clerics and is ready to engage further.
“We have made undeniable progress in our country. But there is more to do. We must continue to work together to accelerate the delivery of our promises and transform Kenya,” he tweeted on Thursday.
What Kenya’s first evangelical Christian president has to accept is that the churches he has so successfully used to capture state houses may well help him unseat him in the next election. can do
“He knows he can’t fight the church,” Mr Gethu said.
