by Noah Cheploen

 @cheploennoah

Mainstream churches yesterday remained tight-lipped on President Uhuru Kenyatta’s criticism of the clergy for what he said was their role in abetting corruption.

The leadership of the Catholic and the Anglican declined to comment on the President’s scathing criticism of the men of cloth.

“On that, please spare me, I don’t want to get involved,” said a catholic bishop, who requested to remain anonymous, saying the matter was sensitive.

An ACK bishop also declined to be drawn into the debate, saying it was “too sensitive”.

During a meeting with delegates from his Mt Kenya backyard at Sagana State Lodge in Nyeri on Wednesday, Uhuru hit out at clerics, saying they had become a conduit for corruption.

Citing the stalled multi-million-shilling Arror and Kimwarer dams in Elgeyo Marakwet as an example of the effects of corruption, Uhuru said pastors who receive money stolen from public coffers “will go to hell”. 

“Some of church leaders have been compromised by huge donations by corrupt leaders. I want to say you should know it is wrong to lie through the bible and you are heading to jahanam (hell),” he said in an apparent reference to his deputy William Ruto.

Warning that God will punish such pastors, the President accused unnamed politician for hiding ill-gotten money in the church, terming him as dishonest and untrustworthy. 

“The money you are receiving is the same money that was to build dams in Elgeyo Marakwet so that God’s children can get water,” he added.

Uhuru and Ruto fell out after his March 9, 2018 handshake deal with ODM leader Raila Odinga.

Yesterday, Pastor Mike Brawan of Metro Church International took the middle ground, saying there are tainted pastors just as there are tainted politicians. 

“My first appeal is for peace because indeed political temperatures are rising,” he said. “As a preacher, I want to caution my colleagues against taking advantage of campaigns to solicit for money from politician or ask them to help build this or that project because that is not good.”

“Those helping the church with donations should not be discouraged. Those who don’t donate should not malign those making their offerings,” he said.

Pastors’ Fellowship chairman Alex Maina defended the clergy saying he is not aware of any church leader who had been “bought” or influenced by money offered by politicians.

“May be he (Uhuru) knows them but for us, we are not aware of such cases,” he said.

Maina said the clergy plays and impartial role and welcome all leaders, their political inclination notwithstanding.

He noting that he was tasked with saying the opening prayer when Uhuru visited the Nakuru Athletics Club last December and when Deputy President William Ruto, ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetang’ula held a rally at the Nakuru ASK Showground.

“I said the prayers and drove home. Nobody gave me anything and I wasn’t expecting anything anyway because I was doing my job as a pastor,” he stated.