Wetangula warns church against political partisanship, unfair attacks on Ruto

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has accused a section of the clergy of unfairly criticising President William Ruto.

The Speaker expressed concern over what he termed as “growing political partisanship among a section of religious leaders,” and urged them to remain objective in their criticism of the Head of State.

Speaking during a farewell meeting with the outgoing Apostolic Nuncio to Kenya, Archbishop Hubertus Matheus Maria van Megen, at Parliament Buildings on Tuesday, the Speaker said the church must safeguard its moral authority by remaining fair and impartial in its criticism of leaders and government.

“Nobody will gag the church from being critical, but it must be fair. The church can speak on social issues as much as it wants, but when it begins behaving like an alternative political force, it risks losing the moral high ground as an impartial adviser and moral authority,” said Wetang’ula.

He acknowledged that the church has historically played a key role during periods of political repression, but cautioned against “selective criticism” against the Kenya Kwanza administration.

“The church needs to continue speaking on social issues, peace, justice and accountability. But even as leaders criticise others, they should also reflect internally,” he said.

“The Catholic Church was largely silent during former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s tenure. President William Ruto is working tirelessly across the country to drive development, yet the church hardly acknowledges any positive efforts. Instead, there appears to be open hostility,” he said.

Archbishop van Megen warned over what he described as the gradual shift by some Catholic-sponsored schools and hospitals from their social mission towards commercial interests.

The Archbishop urged church institutions to refocus on serving communities and addressing social challenges rather than prioritising financial gain.

Archbishop van Megen is set to take up a new diplomatic assignment in Germany after completing his tour of duty in Kenya.

The Kenyan clergy have on several occasions criticised President Ruto's administration, citing unfulfilled campaign promises, a heavy tax burden, and widespread political deception.

A section of religious leaders have actively challenged the government, with some rejecting church donations as public spats escalate over state actions.

Late last year, the church called out Ruto's administration for human rights violations, runaway corruption and collapsed health and education sectors.

The Catholic Church and members of the National Council of Churches of Kenya separately gave a unanimous verdict of a sick nation under President Ruto.

The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) officials, speaking in Nairobi, faulted Ruto's administration for "letting down Kenyans" and ignoring public concerns.

The Catholic bishops faulted the State for mishandling the education sector reforms, accusing it of making decisions that address political expediency at the expense of learners, saying government actions were astoundingly confusing.

"The rationale, choices, and general development of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) that has now taken the Competency-Based Education (CBE) tag have been without clear guidance to the teachers, parents, and students," they said.

KCCB Vice Chairman Anthony Muheria said: "This is a risk to the future of the children going through a system, with no clear end expectation. There is still contestation in the syllabus including the inclusion of Religious Education."

On healthcare, they decried the debt owed to faith-based hospitals by Social Health Authority (SHA) and the defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF).

"We ask that the matter of huge uncleared NHIF dues be fast-tracked and paid. Many faith-based hospitals are on the brink of closing due to unpaid claims."

The bishops said: "Debts owed to the faith-based hospitals in huge billions of shillings by SHA and NHIF is crippling the health institutions to say the least. Our hospitals cannot pay suppliers," said Muheria.

"The government needs to move with speed to have this matter addressed expeditiously," he added, maintaining that the funds paid to the facilities are insufficient to even pay for staff salaries. "They are too insignificant."

KCCB is also disturbed by the wanton corruption "deeply embedded in government institutions, crippling service delivery and undermining national growth" even as they urged public officers to lead with integrity.

For an administration that rode into power on the backing of the church, it now remains to be seen whether there will be a rapprochement between the two parties ahead of the 2027 General Election.