ACK Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit has joined the Catholic clergy in condemning donations from politicians at a time of increasing friction between the Church and the State.

However, the Anglican prelate’s pronouncement is coming under scrutiny, with some ACK bishops and insiders with legal backgrounds questioning its implementation due to the church’s structural autonomy.

In his own admission, Sapit, four days ago, described President William Ruto’s Sh5 million donation to the Bungoma ACK Church as unfortunate.

The Archbishop emphasised that the church operates with “high-level autonomy,” where individual bishops make their own decisions, even as he continues to ban politicking within the church.

“Bishops of dioceses operate with high-level autonomy, and individual decisions of local bishops take the lead.

‘‘But our guidelines are that anyone who brings a donation to the church should not expect proportionality, such as mentions or addressing the gathering. Give your donation as a tithe without recognition, and we have no problem with that when it is issued without fanfare,” he said.

Three days ago, Sapit directed the church to reject contributions from political leaders and their appointees, linking such donations to stolen taxes.

READ: Church donations are biblical, Bishop says as he faults ACK, Catholic churches

“We must stop celebrating whenever the President, Members of Parliament, Governors, Members of County Assemblies, and other political actors donate money whose sources are unclear. As the church, we make it clear that all persons are free to attend worship services and give their offerings, but we will not allow this sacred religious practice to be used for self-promotion and marketing.

‘‘We will continue propagating and applying the guidelines issued by the NCCK, which require that politicians should not be allowed to address congregations inside the church,” he stressed.

While stating that corruption was the biggest threat to national security and the most destructive pandemic afflicting Kenya, the Archbishop noted it was unfortunate that every arm of the government (Executive, Legislature, and Judiciary) and even the independent commissions had been associated with corruption.

“It is our conviction that only we, the people of Kenya, can stop corruption. Let us end the culture of celebrating the corrupt and start shaming them instead. Let us build a culture of supporting and electing people who manifest integrity,” he added.

However, this is not the first time the Archbishop has issued directives to the church.

In 2021, at the height of the campaigns, he banned all politicians from addressing the congregation and accused political leaders of “violating the sacred nature of the altar.”

“In the church, everybody is welcome, but we have the pews and the pulpit. The pulpit is for the clergy, and the pews are for everyone who comes to worship,” he said at the time.

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Despite his orders, a section of bishops defied his directives and continued to welcome the political class into their churches. Some, led by ACK Diocese of Mt Kenya South Bishop Charles Muturi, invited the press to announce that in his parish, Azimio leader Raila Odinga, Ruto, and other presidential contenders were welcome.

“Politicians deserve to address the congregants as the congregants are ordinary Kenyans who need to understand the government’s plans. We need to see the Hustler Nation (referring to Ruto’s political camp) coming to us, we need to see Baba (referring to Raila) coming to us but not with empty words,” Muturi said at the time.

Bungoma ACK Bishop George Mechumo, while receiving Ruto’s donation, which was presented by Governor Ken Lusaka, assured him that he would not reject the money. Lusaka had also persuaded the church not to return the donation.

He dismissed criticism of church donations, asserting that such contributions are vital for advancing the church’s mission, saying, “I will not return the donation. There is no harm in accepting donations intended for God’s work,” Mechumo said.

An ACK reverend who is also a lawyer, Sospeter Kuria, says the Anglican Church dictates that the Archbishop is one among equals with other bishops, and that the church operates independently of the Archdiocese of Nairobi. This provision is what he believes led some bishops to defy Ole Sapit’s directive.

“Every Anglican Diocese is autonomous, and this is what informed the push by the Anglican’s third primate, David Gitari, to have All Saints Cathedral as the Archbishop’s Diocese and the Metropolitan Diocese. Before then, we only had the Diocese of Nairobi, which had a bishop, a move that left the Archbishop with a limited role,” Rev Kuria notes.

The Diocese of All Saints was created on 1 September 2002, following the adoption of the resolution by the provincial Synod in July 2000. Consequently, parts of the Diocese of Nairobi were assigned to the new Diocese.

On his part, Central Region NCCK chairperson, Timothy Gichere, who also serves as the Bishop of the ACK Mt Kenya Central Diocese, says the church will adhere to the Archbishop’s directive this time around, unlike during the 2022 General Election when Ruto had presented himself as a pro-people person and a staunch Christian.

“Things are different this time around. The change of tone by the President has been noticed by the bishops, especially after utterances such as ‘evil spirits,’ which he did not use during the electioneering period. The government is not appreciating the role of the Church in society, and while it continues to oppress its citizens, the Church has also realised that there is a lot of hypocrisy in the government, and it must stand with the people,” he asserts.

The NCCK national chairperson, Rev Dr Elias Agola, maintains that the Council is saddened to note that the country is in a dire state and compares it to a patient in an intensive care unit.

“The economy is in freefall, with citizens’ purchasing power dwindling every day, leading to the collapse of businesses, a rise in unemployment, and an increase in poverty. Respect for human rights and the rule of law has deteriorated to the point where Kenyans, especially leaders and human rights defenders, live in fear of abduction and forced disappearances. Lies and falsehoods have been elevated to the point where no one knows what to believe anymore,” Dr Agola said.

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The Council called on the public to initiate a recall of non-performing leaders, accusing MPs of betraying the electorate who voted them into office.

“Instead of representing the people, they have become ‘spanner boys,’ carrying out the work of the Executive. Instead of overseeing the Executive, they are cheerleaders in oppressing the people. Instead of speaking for the people, they are making oppressive laws. This state is unsustainable,” he said.

The Church has also taken a strong stance against the nine agricultural bills, claiming that they would criminalise food production in the nation.

“We are convinced that the reason political leaders have not undertaken civic education on these laws, none of which are sponsored by Kenyans in any of our constituencies, is because they know Kenyans will not support them. We encourage you to demand from your Members of Parliament that these laws be withdrawn. Do not allow Parliament to enact laws that will make your very life illegitimate,” they said while rejecting the vaccination of livestock plans.