Rev Thegu Mutahi: Why the church has failed Kenyans

In an exclusive interview with KTN News, PCEA moderator REV THEGU MUTAHI explains what needs to be done in order to quell the current political tension in the country; as transcribed by SILAS NYAMWEYA

What do you make of the current political scenario in the country?

We are indeed in a sad situation as a country; it is sad that the political situation is escalating each and every day. We all feel bad when Kenyans are losing lives, the economy is being affected and people's property is being destroyed. We certainly don't want to go back to where we came from.

The leader of this nation should use his power to make Kenya a home for all people. The people of Kenya are not ready to be dismembered or to be used as tools of political convenience in the hands of some politicians.

WIlliam Ruto chats with Raila Odinga at a past Jamuhuri Day celebration in Nyayo stadium. [PHOTO: COURTESY OF DPPS]

How do you think the government and specifically Dr Ruto (President William) should approach this situation?

In my view, Raila is someone with a lot of influence, much as many Kenyans voted for Ruto. This means that he is not someone to be ignored and some of his concerns like the cost of living need to be addressed. In this respect, Ruto should find a way of engaging him and if possible accommodate him in government operations. There are people who consider Raila as their leader and this means we need to relook into our political system on how much people can be accommodated. Instead of maintaining a hard-line stand, both parties including Raila and his lieutenants need to relax their stand and find a way of engaging each other to find a solution for the sake of our country.

What is the role of the church in this entire debacle?

As the church, we are committed to ensuring unity and peace prevail in our country. This is why we have always expressed our commitment to lead unity talks between Raila and Ruto to end the current stalemate. Even if these talks may not necessarily lead to a handshake, we believe that an affirmation and agreement to address key concerns will scale down the political animosity in the country. If, for instance, Raila accepts Ruto as president and agrees to support him and Ruto accepts to address key concerns raised by Raila, then the supporters will have no reason to be against each other.

But some people say the church is partisan and divided.

I agree on this point to some extent but this ought not to be the case as the church should be neutral in the political system. On this, I relay my rallying call for the church and my fellow leaders to remain steadfast and understand the role we are playing in society.

However, we cannot say all is void; the church is still valid and many Kenyans still take value in us. Whenever there are problems and skirmishes in the country, people always run to the church for consolation and support. It's the church that came with the education system, health system, and other developments that are being enjoyed in the country before the government came in.

If there is somewhere the church has erred, we cannot demonize the entire institution. We can realize even the first church could make mistakes but still press on. Therefore, since the church is made up of humans, we cannot be excluded from human mistakes but we are working hard every day to attain holiness.

Generally, do you think the Dr Ruto-led administration is on the right track? If not, where did the rain start beating them?

During the first days, Dr Ruto and his team had begun the momentum on a positive trajectory. However, where they started going wrong is when they started blaming the former regime for the purported financial impropriety. For me, this was uncalled for as the new administration worked to create their own record and serve Kenyans.