Are Christians abandoning William Ruto? Since mid-November, several religious organizations have publicly criticized the Kenyan president and his policies. A first since the arrival to the head of State in September 2022 of this follower of the Church of the African Interior, beneficiary of the support of the churches to come to power.
The latest criticism came on Nov. 22 from the Akurino Churches, a Christian congregation of about 500,000 members, whose leaders have called on the president to align his policies with his campaign promises.
The first came out on November 14 from the powerful Catholic Church in Kenya. That day, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) went beyond its usual neutrality in the country’s affairs to roundly accuse William Ruto and his government of “culture of lies”.
The bishops pointed out corruption, increased taxes and unfinished reform of the health system. The prelates expressed their concern about a bill that provides for the extension of the duration of the presidential term. “A term limited to twice five years, as provided for by the current Constitution, seems largely sufficient” notes its press release.
“Punitive taxes, employment crisis…”
The bishops’ declaration had the effect of a bomb. In this 85% Christian country, the Catholic Church occupies a central place. Nearly 10 million of Kenya’s 55 million people are Catholic and a significant proportion of secondary schools and hospitals are run by religious people.
In the following days, the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) and the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) in turn criticized the government. “Kenyans struggle with punitive taxes, labor crises and an unfavorable economic environment”denounced in particular the Anglican Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit.
Catholic leaders have said they are particularly concerned about the unexplained killings and kidnappings of opponents since the June and July demonstrations. Then, young Kenyans took to the streets en masse to protest against a finance bill considered unfair.
“Who is kidnapping these people? And why is the government unable to put an end to these kidnappings and murders?asked the religious man. According to civil society organizations, nearly 70 people have been kidnapped outside any legal framework since the protests began and 26 remain missing.
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