Church should reclaim its moral high ground
By Editorial, September 23, 2019
The recent clash between Nominated MP Maina Kamanda and Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro in a Murang’a church points to the low regard in which politicians hold places of worship.
Regrettable as it was, the incident focuses attention on the continued hobnobbing between political players and the men of the cloth, much to the chagrin of the faithful.
It may be the faithful who, through their spiritual leaders, invite the politicians into their churches, ostensibly to raise funds for projects that appear to go on and on.
Indeed, a video clip that has gone viral shows a group of church elders pleading with politicians dishing out money to churches to also “remember” them as they, too have church projects they would want to complete.
This is a clear demonstration of how low some members of the cloth have sunk. Most never care the source of the cash being dished out, whether it is proceeds of ill-gotten wealth or corruption.
It is for this reason that we urge the church to reclaim its place of moral high ground and remain the last port of call for all and sundry; in the spirit of offering succour to the down-trodden and needy.
Further down on the path to ignominy, men of the cloth have been fingered in acts of immorality and even outright crime. Some church leaders have filmed themselves debasing and humiliating their flock, complete with epithets, insults and other shenanigans.
It is time the government vetted such churches and tightened the rules that govern registration of societies. That is without prejudice to the inherent right by the selfsame churches to the freedoms of religion, conscience and thought.
But there must be a rider; these freedoms must be tempered with and accompanied by absolutely high degrees of responsibility so that no individual or religious outfit will ride roughshod over their flock in the name of spiritual fulfillment.
Maybe the government could learn from Rwanda, which last year took a bold step to regulate churches in a crackdown that saw hundreds of them closed. The move was meant to shield the faithful from exploitation.
Churches must remain places of worship and not be seen as personal property or podiums for political shenanigans.