The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) has urged politicians to donate money to Kenyans who are suffering instead of the church.

Speaking in Nakuru as Catholics celebrated Ash Wednesday to mark the beginning of Lent (prayer, fasting and alms giving), Bishop Cleophas Oseso urged political leaders not to use churches as a place of donations.

“Let the church not be seen as a beneficiary while schools have no books, hospitals have no medicine and doctors and teachers have no pay,” said Oseso.

Oseso stated that the church’s stance is to ensure unaccounted donations do not tarnish its reputation.

“We do not know where the huge sum of money donated to churches by politicians comes from and we should be worried,” he said. According to Oseso, politicians should also cease from announcing or making public the amount donated to churches.

He insisted the bible states that; ‘When you donate with your right hand, your left hand should not know the amount donated’. “Let donations be done in secret to ensure the same is genuine and not a form for campaign or show-off,” he said.