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Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo considers himself a god. The old man has been in power since 1979. He is the longest serving President in the world.

State radio in 2003 declared that the tyrant is “in permanent contact with the Almighty,” and “like God in heaven. He has all power over men and things… He can decide to kill without anyone calling him to account and without going to hell because it is God himself, with whom he is in permanent contact, who gives him this strength.”

His son, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, is his vice president.

Evoking strong relationship with an all-powerful supernatural force, the dreaded Obiang family have squandered the oil-rich country with nearly no opposition.

They live in obscene opulence while their subjects struggle to survive. American agencies in 2011 failed to seize Obiang’s $30 million (Sh3.7 billion) oceanfront home in California, a $38.5 million (Sh4.7 billion) Gulfstream jet, a Ferrari worth more than $500,000 (Sh63 million) and Michael Jackson’s memorabilia worth $2 million (Sh251 million).

The concern was Obiang obtained the cash from companies that he forced to pay taxes and fees to him and make donations to his projects which were diverted to his pockets.

The Vice-President’s love for luxurious cars is legendary. He owns a six-storey villa in Paris, worth more than $100 million (Sh12.5 billion) in one of the swankiest neighbourhoods of the French capital. It hosts a cinema, spa, hair salon and taps covered in gold leaf.

Equatorial Guinea is not the only country in which leaders have deployed religion to hoodwink the masses and create a false sense of hope for political benefit.

The case of former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, borders on insanity. He claimed he could cure HIV/Aids using a mixture of herbal medicine and spiritual healing techniques. Many patients who were forced to abandon ARV treatment for his nonsensical quackery paid with their lives.

These cases illustrate the danger that a potent mix between politics and religion can turn into.

Understandably, President William Ruto and his Deputy Rigathi Gachagua have decidedly tied their political fortunes to their faith.

The two have a deeply intimate relationship with the evangelicals. In fact, the evangelical groups who have been beneficiaries of the Ruto-Gachagua generosity vigorously campaigned for them and stake immense credit for the Kenya Kwanza victory. The bond was cemented during the pre-ICC prayer rallies. They confess Christianity and claim to have prayed themselves to power. In fact, they project the Christian duos ascent to power as an act of God.

The result is the country is being treated to a series of official activities being packaged as prayer meetings. In fact, the President has declared they will be held every Sunday for those willing to attend.

The irony of it is that the functions are being used as platforms to spew hate and polarising messages.

Religion is a personal decision. Christianity, for instance, is the anchor of many civilisations but it is not science. Those who believe prayers are no solution to the negative effects climate change such as drought should be spared the outburst of dangerous religiosity being entrenched in State bureaucracy.

History is coloured with Bible-carrying hypocrites who ended up brutalising and depriving their people through deceit and corruption.

Individuals have evoked religion to shield themselves from punishment for crimes against humanity. Others like, Jammeh, are blamed for deaths of their people.

The other major concern is that the so-called religious leaders continue to gleefully entertain hate-mongering in their churches. Young politicians have been using pulpits to hurl unprintable insults at their opponents before church audiences, including children.

There have been discussions on the erosion of the moral standing of the church as a spiritual guardian of the nation for the past decade.

Senior clergy have taken fairly regressive positions on critical national debates, including governance, human rights, constitutionalism and the rule of law.

Some of the politicians purporting to be leading the church summons are responsible for problems that they purport to pray for.

This is not to underrate the power of prayer and personal faith. It is the hypocrisy around it that many people find detestable. Okay, let us pray.

But let us come up with policies and laws to address our challenges.

—The writer is the Political Editor at People Daily