This archive report was first published on 6 October 2019.
On October 5, 2019, the Catholic Church in Kenya marked a significant milestone in its fight against corruption with a national prayer day at the Subukia Shrine in Nakuru County.
During the event, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) unveiled a nationwide anti-corruption campaign, which will run for the next six months.
The campaign aims to break the corruption chain in Kenya by opening corruption desks in all Catholic churches to track cases reported by the public.
As part of the initiative, the faithful will be required to declare their intention to fight corruption at their places of work.
The bishops also announced that the church will no longer accept large cash donations from politicians and will not allow political statements in church.
“Politicians will not be allowed to address the congregation inside the church. The same will be restricted outside the church,” said KCCB chairman, Bishop Philip Anyolo.
The bishops also stated that the church has stopped accepting direct donations from politicians, and contributions to fundraise for Catholic Church projects will be done via mobile money transfer or by cheques.
They promised to keep a record of any gifts exceeding Ksh50,000 ($500) to religious leaders in the church and said all gifts must be accompanied by a letter from the donor.
The bishops decried the “tremendous corruption that has imprisoned hearts, families, and the entire society” and called on all Kenyans to unite and uproot corruption.
