Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

Deputy President (DP) William Ruto yesterday called on religious  leaders to consider lifting the ban on politicians from speaking  in churches.

Speaking at  St Lorent Angaine AIPCA church in Timau, Buuri constituency in  Meru County,  the DP urged church leaders not to chase away politicians.

Quoting from the book of Psalm 133, which says God is pleased when he sees brothers and sisters seated on the same table in harmony, Ruto added that  politicians are also human beings who need salvation and deliverance.

Turning point

“I am requesting the churches that banned  politicians from speaking in church to allow them. We cannot see heaven if we don’t go through the church,,” he added.

Ruto  said some politicians come to church for competition but who knows, it could also be a turning point in their salvation.

He at the same time maintained that politicians joined church services after he  set  a good example in contributing greatly to church projects .

“Don’t chase them away,  allow them to come and get saved because they have seen how I am continuing  to receive blessings  from God due to my active deeds in church,” added Ruto.

Ruto’s remarks come a fortnight after the leadership of the Catholic and Anglican Church of Kenya barred political leaders from addressing the church from the pulpit: “Now that they are here, preach salvation to them, so that we all get saved,” he said.

Ruto’s remarks yesterday contradict the position he had taken last week while in Githunguri where he appeared to support the church’s decision.

“We have been asked to avoid politicking in church and that is why I am not going to make any political pronouncements while standing on a church pulpit,” Ruto said then.

During his vote hunting tour in Meru County yesterday, Ruto  also  blamed Orange Democratic Movement party leader Raila Odinga for the current political and economic crisis facing the nation.

While selling his bottom-up economy agenda in Timau and Meru town, the DP accused Raila  of being the stumbling block to the implementation of the Big Four agenda; a move he said has continued to derail the economy.

Death of Jubilee

Calling on the former premier to prepare for the worst defeat in the coming General Election, Ruto blamed  Handshake for prioritising  Constitution change instead of focusing  on the Big Four agenda. 

He said that if not for  the birth of Handshake  in March 2018, their administration  would be at an advanced stage in implementing Jubilee developmental  manifestos and  Big four agenda.

“ Before the reggae-man came in, Jubilee’s Big Four agenda was moving smoothly and was our main priority, because the most important thing  is to change the lives of Kenyans and not changing  the Constitution to create powers. That is where we went wrong after the  Handshake and everything changed including the death of Jubilee,” he said.

He expressed confidence that his United Democratic Alliance party would  form the  next government.