The Catholic Church has rejected President William Ruto and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja’s Ksh 5.8 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.
The President had donated Ksh 600,000 to Soweto Catholic church in Nairobi on Sunday for choir members and Ksh2 million that would be used to construct the father’s house.
The Head of State had also promised to donate an additional Ksh3 million that would be channeled to the church’s account to purchase a church bus.
During the same service also, Governor Sakaja had donated Ksh 200,000 to the same church.
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 the statement, 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.
The archbishop also accused a section of politicians of using church events such as fundraisers and gatherings as platforms for political self-promotion.
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 Ksh 5.8 million gift.
