This archive report was first published on 13 October 2019.
Published on October 13, 2019, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) announced that it will no longer accept direct donations of huge sums of cash from politicians.
According to the new guidelines, contributions to fundraise for projects in church will only be done via mobile money transfer or by cheque payments.
The move is aimed at blocking the political class from donating ill-gotten money to churches and institutions, and to promote accountability in church projects.
Speaking on the new guidelines, Bishop Philip Anyolo, the KCCB chairman, said, 'We wish to move towards cashless donations. And for the purpose of accountability, we shall declare in public the list and accounts of our projects.'
The directive has attracted a political interpretation, with National Assembly's Leader of Majority Aden Duale claiming that the church is playing politics and is deliberately targeting Deputy President William Ruto.
'The command of the Bible and the Koran is for the faithful to give back to the needy in society, and the church should accordingly accept cash from those who can offer a shilling and those who bring a million shillings as contributions,' Mr Duale said.
However, National Assembly Minority Leader and ODM chairman John Mbadi hails the steps undertaken by the Catholic bishops, saying that the move is confirmation that noble courses like contributions for church projects are prone to abuse.
The restrictions come a couple of days after Embu Catholic Bishop Paul Kariuki defended Dr Ruto over his countrywide engagements with the church.
Archbishop Anthony Muheria of Nyeri Diocese maintains that the action by the Catholic Church has not been specifically inspired by the recent drama involving the Embu Bishop.
Pointing out that corruption has been infiltrating the churches, Bishop Muheria says the Catholic Church has been alive to the corruption problem, hence the release of their first warning in April this year.
The politicians, courtesy of Mr Mbadi, have similarly sponsored a Bill to regulate funds drive.
However, Pokot South MP David Pkosing claims the move by ODM chairman is meant to undermine the DP.
The funding factor aside, the biggest challenge of late has been heightened politicking in churches, with the clergy allowing politicians to take over the pulpit.
Rev Timothy Njoya, the National Council of Churches of Kenya patron, observes that churches in Kenya have become agents of the State, which is a major shift from church-state relationships in the 1990s.
