Africa-Press – Kenya. President William Ruto has appealed to Kenyans to uphold the sanctity of places of worship, warning against the growing trend of political disruptions and confrontations in churches.
The President said churches should remain spaces of peace, respect, and spiritual reflection, not arenas for political rivalry, hate, or division.
Ruto emphasized that all Kenyans, regardless of their political affiliation or personal beliefs, have a responsibility to respect places of worship as sacred spaces dedicated to seeking God and promoting unity.
Speaking on Sunday during a Church Service at PEFA All Nations Gospel Church, Gikomba, Nairobi, the president directed security agencies to ensure churches and other places of worship are protected from unnecessary, useless, and retrogressive politics, saying such actions undermine social cohesion.
“I want to plead to you that church is a place of respect. Kenyans should agree that politics can be done, but the altar is a place of respect; we should not politicise there, not spread hate and disagreements. We want our churches to be places of peace and seeking God,” he said.
“All of us, irrespective of who we are and what we believe in, must respect the place of God in our churches. All arms of security must ensure that our places of worship are protected from unnecessary, useless, and retrogressive politics. All of us have platforms outside where we can conduct our politics. Let us work together.”
Calling for collective responsibility, the president urged leaders and citizens alike to separate political activity from religious spaces and work together to preserve harmony.
On January 25, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua was attacked at the ACK Church Witima in Othaya, where he had attended a church service.
The Sunday incident in which police accompanied by armed goons lobbed teargas in and around the church compound.
The church fraternity heavily condemned the attack, terming it a grave violation of religious freedom.
In a statement on Monday, January 2, the National Council of Churches of Kenya accused the police of violating the Constitution, which guarantees the right to worship freely, either individually or in community with others, in public or private.
The church umbrella body also expressed “grave concern” over the desecration of places of worship by police, warning that the incident in Othaya was not isolated but part of a disturbing national pattern.
NCCK listed the incidents that had been reported in the past, noting that the Nyeri disruption was the ninth incident in which police have allegedly attacked worshippers in recent years.
“NCCK avers that the deliberate, unwarranted, and unprovoked lobbing of teargas canisters at worshippers in a place of worship is not only illegal and unconstitutional but an attack on the body of Jesus Christ of Nazareth who is our Lord and Saviour,” the statement said.
The church demanded an apology from Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen and the Police IG Douglas Kanja.
ACK Archbishop Jackson ole Sapit also condemned the attack, and called on the Church and worshippers to maintain peace and protect the sanctity of sacred spaces.
In his devotion on Monday, Archbishop Sapit said the church condemns the attack without hesitation, and stands in grief and solidarity with those who were injured, frightened, and shaken.
“We especially carry our children before the Lord, asking that He heals what their young hearts and bodies were forced to endure,” Sapit said.
The attack, which is being blamed on the police with alleged instruction from pro-government elements further soils the relationship between Ruto and the church, a key constituency and platform for his 2022 presidential election victory.
