Catholic Church in Kenya declines presidential donation amid political exploitation concerns.

The Catholic Church in Kenya has declined a $40,000 (£32,000) donation from President William Ruto, citing ethical concerns and a need to avoid political exploitation of church events.

President Ruto made the donation during Mass at Soweto Catholic Church in Nairobi on Sunday, offering the funds to support the construction of a priest’s house and as a gift to the choir. The donation included 2.6 million Kenyan shillings ($20,000, £16,000) in cash, with the rest pledged later. He also promised to donate a bus to the parish.

Archbishop Philip Anyolo of Nairobi announced the church’s decision to return the funds, emphasizing that accepting such contributions would breach church directives and Kenyan law. “The Catholic Church strongly discourages the use of church events such as fundraisers and gatherings as platforms for political self-promotion,” Archbishop Anyolo stated.

He added that a 200,000 Kenyan shilling donation from Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, who attended the same service, would also be returned.

This rejection follows an intense rebuke of church-politician relationships in Kenya, where more than 80% of the population identifies as Christian. Recently, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops criticized the government for unfulfilled promises, over-taxation, corruption, and poor public services.

The Catholic bishops’ latest statement accused the government of perpetuating a “culture of lies” and expressed concerns over human rights violations, unemployment, and deteriorating education and healthcare systems. “Despite the calmness we are experiencing, there is a lot of anxiety, and most people are losing trust in the government,” the bishops said.

President Ruto dismissed the criticisms, stating, “We must be careful to give factual information lest we become victims of the things we accuse others of doing.” Meanwhile, Senator Aaron Cheruiyot, a government ally, accused the church of spreading “misinformation.”

The Anglican Church of Kenya backed the Catholic Church’s stance. Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit defended the bishops, stating, “Calling church leaders names or dismissing the bishops’ statement as ‘misleading, erroneous, and false,’ is itself dishonest. The bishops have spoken the minds of Kenyans and faithfully expressed the truth as things are on the ground.”