Lodwar fake priest and the political wolves disguising as sheep

Fake priest arrested in Lodwar.[File, Standard]

The recent arrest of an impostor priest in Lodwar has generated widespread interest, especially among Catholic faithful across Kenya and beyond.

The Catholic Church is known for her leadership, administrative and organisational cohesion. For a young man who is not a priest to pretend to be one to the extent of concelebrating the Holy Mass in the presence of the Local Ordinary naturally heightens the degree of public interest and curiosity over his daring courage of conmanship.

A friend once said that we have completely lost touch with the fear of God in our hearts and can do just anything in the world of today. I doubted him then, but the Lodwar saga has opened my eyes to the veracity of his assertion. If someone could disguise to be a Catholic priest, what could he not do?

Without dwelling on the background and 'inspiration' of the young man, I would like to use his saga as a mirror to look into the lives of people in leadership positions or those seeking leadership positions in the forthcoming 2027 General Election.

The young man presented himself as a priest and he was warmly received as one. No one knew the truth until God exposed his hypocrisy to preserve the sanctity of His sacred altar.

Many wolves would come in sheep's clothing as we go into the electoral season. They would come with sweet tongues and forged credentials; they would make promises they know in their heart of hearts they won't fulfill, all in a bid to win the votes of the people.

The Lodwar saga is an eye-opener to nations such as Kenya and Nigeria who are preparing for general elections to beware of the many wolves disguising as sheep and presenting fake manifestos to better the lots of the people.

With the elaborate rules of engagement, electoral laws and guidelines by the electoral commission, there will be many daring attempts to violate, manipulate, and beat the system to get through every hurdle to emerge as winners. Both the ruling and the Opposition parties would engage in this negative-spirited effort.

Having the resources, structure and power of the State, the ruling party would engage the game in unsuspecting manners. They would speak out against the use of goons and gangs publicly but unleash 'official' goons and gangs clandestinely. They would publicly sign IEBC code of conduct but blatantly violate it in broad daylight with the attitude of 'uta do'?

Is it voter bribery; certificate forgery; assassination of opponents; brave defiance of the law; diversion and private use of public resources; telling sweet lies; eating street food; attending religious services...the wolves would do anything and everything to appear like sheep to win the hearts of voters.

Like the Lodwar impostor priest, politicians will soon start attending church services with big Bibles. They will be misquoting Scripture passages to endear themselves as converted Christians. In all the unfolding political drama, voters must shine their eyes and not be carried away by the glitter of calculated deception.

Voters have a huge responsibility to sieve through in search of the genuine leaders they desire. Like the people of Ol Kalou, voters must know that their voting power is more powerful than the people in power.

There is need for religious bodies, non-governmental organisations and all other non-political actors to effectively engage in voter education ahead of the elections. Voters must be true to their conscience and vote with the fear of God, who is supreme above all and with a sense of national duty and patriotism. 

The greatest responsibility lies heavily on the electoral umpire to have the courage to confront and apply the law accordingly without fear or favour. This would be the only way the electoral commission could entrench democratic values, principles and good governance in the country.

Rev. Dr. Onogwu is a Catholic missionary priest