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Catholic church rejects $40,000 gift from Kenya’s President, Ruto

November 20, 2024

Catholic church rejects $40,000 gift from Kenya’s President, Ruto

Kenya’s Catholic Church has rejected a donation of about $40,000 (£32,000) made by President William Ruto.

He offered the money towards the building of a priest’s house and as a gift to the choir during Mass on Sunday at the Soweto Catholic Church in the capital, Nairobi.

The donation followed a recent statement by Catholic bishops, who had hit out at the government for failing to fulfil their electoral promises.

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Churches have been under pressure this year from young anti-tax protesters who have accused them of being too close to politicians.

Following Ruto’s much-publicised donation on Sunday, many Kenyans urged the Catholic Church to reject the money.

The president had given around 2.6m Kenyan shillings ($20,000, £16,000) in cash, pledged the rest of the money later and also promised to give the parish a bus.

The Catholic Archbishop of Nairobi, Philip Anyolo, said the cash would be returned over “ethical concerns and the need to safeguard the Church from being used for political purposes”.

He also declined his other pledges and said a donation of 200,000 Kenyan shillings made by the Governor of Nairobi, Johnson Sakaja – who attended the same service, was also being handed back.

“The Catholic Church strongly discourages the use of church events such as fundraisers and gatherings as platforms for political self-promotion,” Archbishop Anyolo said.

Such donations were in breach of the church directives as well as the Kenyan law, he added.

The long ties between churches and political institutions – in a country where more than 80% of the population are Christian – seem to be fraying.

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