Nyeri Archdiocese Archbishop Anthony Muheria has reprimanded a section of the political class for engaging in heated exchanges in the past few days following the death and burial of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

Speaking on Saturday, October 25, 2025, where he presided over the 10th anniversary of the beatification of Sister Irene Stefani Nyaatha in Mukurwe-ini, Nyeri County, Muheria warned that heated exchanges risk fueling ethnic tension.

The archbishop instead appealed to the political elite to return to the basic leadership tenets and embrace unity and service to the citizens.

“The kind of exchanges that sometimes we hear with leadership, we ask them to bring God, bring mercy, bring caring because only when a leadership is filled with Christ, filled with God, filled with love, forgiving, is it true leadership,” Muheria stated.

Serve the people

Muheria, who has never shied away from calling the political class, instructed the leaders to shun indulging in self-serving rhetoric and refocus that energy on ensuring the people get meaningful development.

“We are filled with big heads of how big we are, and we want to always impose our power that we can’t come down from our big seats of power to come and serve. There is a leadership which does not have mercy and love. A leadership that does not have time to humble, to listen, is not a leadership,” Muheria added.

Succession politics

His sentiments came against the backdrop of heightened political sentiment ahead of the 2027 General Election. Raila’s unexpected death thrust the Orange Democratic Movement to the nerve centre of political discourses.

Most discussions shifted to who would succeed Raila Odinga and whether ODM would support President William Ruto’s re-election bid.

The debate has so far culminated in a series of meetings in Bondo with a section of ODM leaders endorsing Siaya Senator Oburu Oginga, the acting ODM leader, to lead the party.

Moreover, the recent sentiments made by Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga have been at the centre of political discourse, with some quarters calling for his ouster for what they perceived as celebrating Raila’s death.