Questions raised about foreign jobs interviews inside church

President William Ruto on Thursday hosted Bishop Edward Mwai of Jesus Winner Ministry, which received Sh20 million donation from him last week.

Ruto’s meeting with the flamboyant preacher comes at the time when Kenyans are raising questions over Ruto’s personal contribution to the church and his Sh100 million pledge.

The church is seeking to raise some Sh1.2 billion towards  construction of a church.

Kenyans questioned how and why the government settled on Winners Church as recruitment ground for job seekers looking for opportunities instead of available public spaces.

On Thursday, a church official told The Standard that they had requested President Ruto to send the officers from the ministry of Labour to carry out the exercise in the premises.

“In fact it is Bishop Mwai who requested the President that the recruitment be conducted in the church because we have a college offering various courses,” the official said.

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On March 2, President Ruto in company of Governor Johnson Sakaja and Members of Parliament from Nairobi attended service at the church.

During his sermon, Bishop Mwai asked for monetary support from the President, saying Ruto had been a “great friend” for years.

Ruto made the multi-million shilling pledge amid jubilation from the worshipers. He announced that the disputed 20-acre piece of land belongs to the church, coming against the backdrop of a contestation by Kenya Defense Forces (KDF)

The President also pledged to send the Ministry of Labour to carry out recruitment of people looking for opportunities abroad.

In a statement after meeting the bishop, Ruto appreciated Jesus Winner Ministry Church for complementing the Labour Mobility Programme by hosting a recruitment drive.

“The government will continue supporting this initiative as we work to expand job and income opportunities for our young people,” Ruto posted on his social media pages after the meeting with Bishop Mwai in State House, Nairobi

Earlier, the church had denied receiving Sh20 million from the President, stating that it was just a pledge.

This was after the preacher’s mobile phone number was shared online, leading to hostile calls and messages from strangers.

Some leaders raised concerns not only over the decision but also the government initiative of shipping out the youths for cheap labour abroad.

Speaking in Nairobi during the people’s dialogue festivals, former Chief Justice David Maraga said the youth were being shipped to other countries for cheap labour.

“As a country that is not what we should be proud of, we should enable our youth to get skills. Those who go out should be those who want to venture,” the former CJ stated

Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah said church is a private place unless just offering a building for the exercise.

“It depends on the kind of the arrangement that they reached but the problem comes if the church was given any kind of inducement for the exercise to be conducted,” he added.

On March 5, 2025, Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua led a recruitment exercise at Jesus Winner Ministry that was attended by thousands.

According to the CS, they were recruiting drivers, nurses and other workers.