Ruto moves to mend ties with the church a year to elections

President William Ruto during a meeting with the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops at State House, Nairobi, on August 19, 2026. [PCS]

He rose to power on the wings of the church but inside four years, President William Ruto's relationship with the church has been very sour to say the least.

Ruto was the darling of the church which formed one of his strongest pillars in the 2022 campaigns.

However, Kenyans did not predict the fallout that would happen soon after he took office.

In a bid to try and make amends with the church, the President on Wednesday met with four bishops from the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) namely; the chairman Archbishop Maurice Muhatia, his vice chair Archbishop Anthony Muheria, Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi Philip Anyolo and the Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa Dominic Kimengich,.

The Bishops have been some of the harshest critics of his administration in the recent past. With just under one year before the next General election, Ruto has seemingly begun lending a listening ear to the clergy.

His woes with the church began on November 14, 2024, when the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops KCCB issued a statement criticizing President Ruto's administration for enforced disappearances and abductions, over taxation and unkept promises.

"We have made clear statements many times in the recent past with very little response from the Government." said Bishop Muhatia.

While gracing Tangaza University's Graduation ceremony the next day the President responded to the Bishops warning them against falling prey to propaganda.

"As we engage in public discourse on matters important to the people of Kenya, we must be careful to be factual, lest we become victims of the things we accuse others of doing." Ruto said.

This was however not their only statement criticizing the Government. KCCB has issued more than 10 statements with the latest coming in on June 23rd last month where they expressed concern over the establishment of an Ebola center in Laikipia for US citizens.

They also reiterated that the issue with the Social Health Authority remained unsolved. The bishops have raised issues on the CBE curriculum, hate speech, finance bills, police brutality and cost of living during Ruto's tenure.

Presbyterian Church of East Africa PCEA have also been on the frontlines in condemning the Government.

In a statement backing the KCCB in November 2024, a section of the Bishops complained of the troubles faced during the transition from NHIF to SHA despite the Government's insistence that all was well.

They also called for the shelving of the new University Higher Education Funding model and warned against talk of extension of Presidential term limits.

Coming at a time when the then deputy President had been impeached, they asked the President to act on those issues as fast as they had done the impeachment process.

The Anglican Church of Kenya ACK through Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit and Evangelical churches have also been a thorn in Government's flesh especially on the goonism issue. Other clergymen have also spoken truth to power.

ACK Bishop Charles Ong'injo from Kisumu made headlines in May after lecturing the Government on an unkept promises of clean cooking energy, solving unemployment crisis and constant political sloganeering during the burial of the father to Seme MP James Nyikal.

During the State funeral of the late Prime Minister Raila Odinga at Nyayo stadium, Bishop Kodia called out the theft of public funds in his sermon.

"If there is anyone here be you a Governor, MCA or whoever it is who has looted this country, you stand a chance to be condemned." he said.

It was during the same graduation at Tangaza University that the President said that some of the denominations do not have many qualified clergy, appealing to the Catholic-led University to come in handy and train them so that "christianity is based on solid understanding and knowledge of the Word of God".

This was the starting point of a lot of contention over whether men of cloth need academic qualifications since they are called by God.

Subsequently, Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana proposed the Religious Organizations Bill 2024 that required churches to among other things file returns, present audited accounts.

It also proposed creation of the office of registrar for religious organizations which would issue or revoke registration of religious organizations and religious leaders.

Opposition came from across denominations prompting the Government to postpone nationwide public participation on the controversial bill. Pastor Wilfred Lai of Jesus Celebration Center said that passing that bill would be touching the anointed of God.

"How can you ask a pastor in the village who doesn't even have a bank account to give audited accounts? Where will they get money to even hire an auditor?" said Lai.

Just last week the Taita Taveta ACK Bishop Liverson Mng'onda asked a family to reject a half a million condolence money from the President over failures by the State.

"I have seen money brought here in a very disrespectful way. If you are giving money don't give conditions that you have to be a believer of Affordable Housing or stadiums that will not be eaten by people." he said.

On 18, 2024, Archbishop Anyolo issued a statement rejecting 5.6 million Kenya shillings donation from President William Ruto and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja to Soweto Catholic church.

The money was Sh.600,000 for the parish choir and Parish Missionary Council plus Sh2 million for building a resident priest's house from the President and Sh.200,000 from Sakaja for the parish choir.

An additional Sh3 million and a parish bus promise were also declined.

While the President has met some of the churches through delegations at the State House like the Methodist church and most recently Friends Church Quakers, criticism has not gone away. 

In July last year, Ruto sparked another row after he stated that he wanted to construct a 1.2-billion-shilling church at State House.

He was met with a lot of backlash even from the church leaders themselves who insisted that there were other important projects to do, despite him saying it would not be constructed from public coffers.

The attack on the All Saints Cathedral by goons during a public participation meeting in June this year also irked the clergy.

Whether the counsel which was offered to the President by the Catholic Bishops results in a difference in the Governance of the nation, remains a wait and see.