President William Ruto on Sunday, December 1, dismissed the recent heated differences between the state and the religious leader after the Catholic Church rejected his personal donation of Ksh2.6 million that he gave to St Anna and Joakim parish in Soweto, Nairobi.
Speaking during a church service in Kimana, Kajiado County, while attending an Interdenominational Church service, Ruto asked the church to divert its energy from viewing the state as an enemy but rather as a development partner.
”There is no need to throw words at each other, there is no need for all that, I want to ask these people to tone down on the verbal exchanges. They should relax, there is no competition” Ruto stated.
Ruto at the same time challenged religious leaders, while referencing the recent incident where the Catholic Church under the leadership of Archbishop Philip Anyolo of Nairobi Archdiocese rejected a joint contribution worth Ksh5.8 million that he and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja had offered.
President William Ruto addressing congregants during an interdenominational church service in Kimana, Kajiado County on Sunday, December 1, 2024.
PCS
According to Ruto, the recent discussions between the government and the church regarding the decision to make a personal contribution, especially amid ongoing economic and social challenges, highlighted a conflict that didn’t exist.
”There is no competition between the church and others, no competition between the church and the state as they are all the same thing,” Ruto stated.
”I am asking you Kenyans that this country is the same thing, therefore we cannot thrive on division. The church and the state must work together,” he added.
The Catholic church in a statement on Saturday, revealed that they had returned all the rejected money that Ruto had donated to them.
This happened even as the National Assembly leader of the majority Kimani Ichung’wah maintained that the church was dishonest all along in the debate on the rejection, as all the money was yet to be returned.
According to Ichung’wah, the Catholic Church was also dishonest in telling Kenyans that it had returned part of the money that was a pledge and had not been handed over to them.
”I want to insist that the money that Ruto contributed to the Catholic church has not been returned yet. I want to ask elected leaders to respect elected leaders because they have also been chosen by God to serve Kenyans,” Ichung’wah stated.
President William Ruto(centre) arrives at the St. Anne and Joakim Catholic church in Soweto Nairobi, accompanied by Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah(left), Johnson Sakaja(second left) and James Mburungu(in collar) and other leaders on November 17, 2024.
PCS