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| Supporters of two Jubilee factions in a scuffle inside a Murang'a Catholic church on Sunday. The incident reveals how the church in Kenya has failed. |
BY BENEDICT MUTUKU
Nearly a
year ago, I wrote and shared on Facebook my sentiments about the church
entertaining politicians in fundraisers. Barely a month to the first
anniversary the unpopular post, I have been vindicated.
In
October last year post I wrote to disagree with President Uhuru Kenyatta’s call for
the church to help in fight against graft and I opined that the church wouldn’t
be committed to the fight because it was also benefiting from the vice by
accepting donations suspected to be looted from the public coffers.
The Sunday turn of events during a mass service
at Gituhi Catholic Church in Murang’a County unravels how the church has been
in the recent past reaping big from the political class – at times – knowingly
or unknowingly receiving bundles of unclean money.
Even as we condemn the politicians for washing
their dirty and stinky linen in the house of God, we must in equal measure
question why the church leadership has turned the pulpit to a place of making
monies. The Church is greedy instead of standing firm against the blatant greed
perpetrated by the politicians. Hasn’t the church become greedier than greedy
politicians?
Causing chaos inside the Church by Jubilee
nominated MP Maina Kamanda and Kiharu youthful lawmaker Ndindi Nyoro leaves us
with more questions than answers on what has become of churches in the
contemporary Kenyan society.
What happened to the church of the 1990s? What
happened to the church that not only took care of the spiritual nourishment of
its members but also fought relentlessly against the atrocities meted on
innocent Kenyans by the dictatorial KANU regime? Above all; isn’t the church a
holy and sacred place? What happened to the morality code and the respect for
the sacred alter?
Cartels
The rate at which politicians are trooping into
churches every Sunday not to seek repentance for looting public resources but
to donate a fraction of their ill-gotten loot is a clear indication the church
has become part of the dangerous cartel consuming this country.
This doesn’t mean politicians are a bad lot or
they should not contribute in churches development. Just like any other
member of the church they are at will to support the house of God. But the
rate at which the church has become cozy with the political class is alarming. The
VIP treatment they receive inside the church is another story. The publicity
and attention their contribution receives is spoiling everything. I have
seen some of the politicians bragging on their social media platforms every
Sunday of how they helped certain churches raise huge amounts of money. This
would even leave one wondering, were these leaders elected to do fundraisers in
churches?
I don’t think I will be wrong when I say the
church has willingly opened the avenue for politicians to call shots inside the
places of Worship. Some, like it happened on Sunday having the audacity and
courage to trade barbs – and advance violence in church – just as they have
made it a routine in their parliamentary chambers. All these madness has been
bred, become deeply rooted and allowed to flourish by the top brass of the
clerics – with traditional churches turning to be the leading culprits.
Strange
bedfellows
As if that is not enough some members of the
clergy have openly been seen campaigning for certain leaders instead of administering fairness. Others would even act
as brokers on behalf of politicians in deals involving (mis)use public funds.
In a more disgusting situation some men of the cloth have been seen holding
briefs for politicians – some issuing orders and sacking threats to public
servants.
If you think that is all about the men of the
cloth in matters going to bed with politicians – you are absolutely
wrong. In some areas of this country some clerics are used to silence
their congregants who tend to question misdeeds of their elected leaders on
matters public accountability. These species of church leaders sing praises
amid their sermons and laud the politicians even when it is in the public
domain that they have embezzled funds made to help the vulnerable and even misused
public offices they hold for self-gain.
This shows how the church leaders have ganged up
with the tormentors of the people they should be defending.
The war on graft in this country cannot and
won’t be won if the church continues with the intimacy it has been exhibiting
with the politicians. These two factions- the church and politicians – though
important to each other and for the wellbeing of a nation should maintain a
considerably safe distance to ensure the former oversights the latter without
compromise.
As I had put it last year, the church must lead
by an example. The men of God should not accept huge chunks of money to
churches from politicians while they (politicians) have done very little for
their constituents. It is a shame for the church to be turned into a dumpsite
of cash by politicians and elected leaders when those leaders have not
attempted to care about supporting the needy and deserving students,
dilapidated classrooms, impassable roads, ballooning statistics of unemployed
graduates, poor healthcare systems, water scarcity, insecurity within and
without the Kenyan borders among other countless challenges overburdening the
Wanjiku.
The church in Kenya has failed the integrity
test and it needs to redeem itself. It is the high time the church reclaims its
position in standing for accountability and respect for democracy and lead in
advocating for good governance.
MWINGI TIMES for timely and authoritative news.
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