Concern over rising religious piety in state offices

Religious figures, civil society groups and governance experts have raised concerns over what they call a trend of religious piety in public offices days after President William Ruto took office.

Kenya has no state religion and the Constitution guarantees freedom of belief and religion. It has a secular system of law.

In the first week in State House, Ruto's wife Rachel hosted numerous religious figures from West Africa, Tanzania and from Kenya itself. The meetings evoked concerns that if it continues unabated, religious ardour could turn to zealotry and possibly fundamentalism and religious intolerance.

Of course, Kenya already is a deeply religious country.

The President said long ago, he didn't need the so-called 'deep state' to win, only God and the people of Kenya. His religion and gifts to churches and places of worship are well known. Religion has also helped in political mobilisation and yielded dividends.

For example, in the run-up to the 2013 elections, Ruto and former President Uhuru Kenyatta  held countrywide rallies billed as prayer events. They also featured fiery salvos at the opposition.

The meetings were called to pray for divine intervention, as the duo had been charged with financing crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court in The Hague in the Netherlands.

The cases collapsed, trials could not proceed as witnesses disappeared recanted and one was found murdered and mutilated in a river.

Ruto routinely attends religious services with his entourage; there is no doubt he is genuine. He also makes generous monetary donations but stopped during official campaigning when it was prohibited.

Pundits argue the religious form a serious part of his political constituency that has propelled him to power.

At their former Karen residence, First Lady Rachel Ruto created a chapel for prayer meetings.

But now that they have become the First Family, some analysts say excessive displays of religious devotion could send the wrong message in a country that is heavily fractious after the election. It is outwardly calm but there is no peace of heart for Azimio leader Raila Odinga, who narrowly lost but said he was rigged out.

Prolific gospel musician and preacher Reuben Kigame, a  presidential aspirant who was not cleared, seem to share the assessment.

Complaining that Ruto and his team were over-doing religion, Kigame took issue with what he called over representation of the evangelical wing of the church after his official state inauguration, saying it could send a divisive message.

"I know I will be bashed but I need to be truthful and accountable to the nation. I think the Ruto administration is overdoing religion. While we acknowledge the hand of God in bringing us this far, the presidency must observe Article 27.

The religious segment was not part of official inauguration.

Article 27 is about equality and freedom from discrimination and guarantees everybody equal enjoyment of their rights, including religious rights.

“The State shall not discriminate directly or indirectly against any person on any ground, including race, sex, pregnancy, marital status, health status, ethnic or social origin, colour, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, dress, language or birth,” it says in subarticle 4.

Kigame said the church and faith-based outfits should be neutral and clear-eyed without dipping into alienating political alignments.

“I strongly believe the church should play a neutral, prophetic, balanced and truthful role  to provide a true spiritual direction for the country. It should congratulate the king but also be prepared to tell the king that he is naked, should he be.”

Lawyer Willis Otieno told the Star that besides the risk of creating intolerant Christian fundamentalism, filling public office with religious piety could sow seeds of division along faith lines.

He said while the First Family has every right to practice their faith, “overdoing it points us to a past where religion was used to mask issues of accountability because in religion, authorities are not questioned.”

“Whenever leaders over-display their religious enthusiasm, always ask yourself what is being hidden from you.”

“This also happened in Malawi where one of their presidents would attend crusade meetings and wield the Bible to preach. This was a ploy to hoodwink the masses not to question his dismal performance in office.”

“Our former President Daniel Moi’s record on religious display is public knowledge. He would never miss Sunday worship meetings, carrying a big bible. We know at the same time, he was brutal and presided over massive pilferage of our economy,” Otieno said.

Suba Churchill agrees, saying though the President has a right to exercise his religious devotion, he should be “mindful that he is a symbol of national unity and must not make any section feel alienated on any basis, including faith.”

The President's allies have been swift to defend him.

Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot, who is tipped to be the Senate majority leader, dismissed the concerns, saying  they are within their rights to attribute their victory to God.

“What is your exact point, Reuben? That we should not shout our testimony, that when all the mighty, wealthy and powerful teamed up and planned our funeral, God delivered us?” he asked.

For Turkana North MP Ekwom Nabuin, a governance expert, it is still too early to judge the First Family in terms of their religious conduct and determine if there is any conflict with their mandates.

He said it would be safe to give the President the benefit of the doubt. He said the figures they have hosted form part of their social circle and they visited to congratulate them on their victory.

"But if they sustain the trend for, say three months, then it could be a cause of concern," he said. 

Nabuin said the first family must not let their social circle engagements conflict with their public duty, as that would send a wrong signal. 

"Even if it is their social circles, they should not over publicise it because it can easily cause friction with other faiths in our highly polarised society."

(Edited by V. Graham)