Churches are turning a blind eye to impunity for the love of money

Deputy President William Ruto during a past fundraiser for the purchase of a bus for PCEA Rititi women's guild in Nyeri. [File, Standard]

A recent tweet by former Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale took me by surprise. In it, Dr Khalwale proudly announced he had laid the foundation stone for a hall at the Amalemba Catholic Church. That was unremarkable. Then this stunner followed – Sh500K of the Sh1.3 million raised had come from DP William Ruto. In July, several media reported that Mr Ruto had donated Sh60 million to various harambees in the preceding six months. That staggering amount was eight times Ruto’s salary in as many months. Like in Kakamega, Ruto’s largesse goes either to churches or schools. This is the question – are churches complicit in receiving odious, possibly illegal, money?

Ruto is a most “generous” giver. On April 6, he reportedly gave Sh15 million to Murang’a High School. On June 9, he gave Sh3 million to Immaculate Primary School in Nanyuki. Barely a month later, he donated Sh5 million to Kairuri Catholic Church in Embu. In May, he gave Sh2 million to Holy Cross Catholic Church in Nakuru. In July, he gave another Sh1 million to Baricho Catholic Church in Kirinyaga through Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri. It rains money – the churches might as well call it manna from heaven – wherever Ruto shows up to a fundraiser in God’s house of worship. Either Ruto loves God more than all of us or something is seriously wrong.