By Joab Apollo
Campaigns for the 2022 Kenyan presidential election have reached fever pitch.
Politicians of different badge and crown, and of different factions are pulling all stops to outwit their potential opponents even though the official campaign period has not been declared by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, Kenya’s election agency.
But nothing beats the sudden interest in the Church by competing political camps in the majority Christian country. One can be mistaken to believe all Kenyan politicians are Bishops. Every weekend, presidential aspirants enthusiastically throng churches to endear themselves with the electorate, in what has been viewed as a clear manifestation of Karl Max’s maxim “Religion is the opium of the people.”
They are singing in the choir, reading Bible verses like ordained priests, kneeling down and weeping for God’s hand like fresh converts. Many give huge cash donations in gurney bags, an act they conveniently call “Investing in heaven”
But as soon as they take to the pulpit, they start hurling ethnic epithets and engaging in political skulduggery, drawing resentment from liberal Christians who see the trend as defilement of the sacred pulpit. But the political class is unfazed.
Deputy President William Ruto, known to give huge donations to Churches on Sunday said that giving is a key Biblical tenet, and dismissed sceptics as people who may not be knowing what true faith is all about.
“We must emphasize on the virtue of giving. Our detractors do not know what they are doing and we pray for them to see the light.” He said at St Augustine Catholic Church in Bahati, Nakuru County.
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, former Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka and former Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi, all presidential aspirants as well as those seeking election for gubernatorial and legislative positions, have all camped in Churches to win votes.
However, Kenyans believe this is a decades old trick that will not sway their decision come August 2022 general election.
“I think these politicians are taking us for fools. They are engaging in all manner of crimes, from looting public coffers to pursuing dangerous policies. Then they come to Church to cleanse themselves. It’s sacrilegious.” Said David Ongera, a devoted Seventh Day Adventist.
“No one has been stopped from seeking God, but kindly respect the House of the Lord. Get your dirty politics out of it.” He added.
Nancy Wanjiku, a Catholic Church member, calls for Churches across the country to ban politicians from discussing politics in the Church.
“They are polluting the Church with their politics of hatred. We shouldn’t sell our souls to the devil just because of a few coins.’ She said.
Some religious leaders have come out to strongly vent their displeasure with the politicization of the church and banned them from their functions, but politics remain stubborn in the Church.
Ethnic hatred induced by party politics always take the better part of Kenyans during election, and the Church has not been spared in successive elections. At the height of the infamous 2007 post-election violence, a Church in Eldoret was set ablaze resulting into the death of 33 people as rival tribes clash.
In some cases, the congregations have been teargassed and bundled out as police smoke out political dissidents.
According to a 2020 report by the International Religious Freedom, Kenya is a majority Christian nation, with 85.52% of the population professing the faith. It’s followed by Muslim at 11%.
