Cardinal John Njue, head of the Catholic Church in Kenya, has refuted allegations that Pope Francis directed Archbishop Philip Anyolo to return a vehicle gifted by Deputy President William Ruto during his 2019 inauguration ceremony.
The controversy emerged after opposition leader Raila Odinga claimed the car had been rejected on papal orders. Njue stated he was unaware of such directives, emphasizing the Church's independent communication channels. "I am not aware of how the comments came about. I don't know about claims that the Holy Pope directed the Church to return the gift," he said in a statement.
Anyolo, the Archbishop of Kisumu, also denied receiving instructions from the Vatican regarding the vehicle. The car, originally presented to Anyolo during Ruto's inauguration, was later transferred to another organization.
The Kenyan Daily Post reported the story on March 4, 2019. The publication's 2012 copyright notice appears in the original source material.
