Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has condemned plans to construct a mega church at State House Nairobi, calling the project a blatant violation of Kenya’s Constitution and an attempt to misuse public funds under the guise of religious devotion.
In a statement released on July 7, Omtatah accused President William Ruto of acting outside the law by allegedly pushing for a religious structure to be built on public land.
He stated that Kenya is a secular state with no official religion and warned that such a move would be unconstitutional.
“Under the law, you cannot, without violating the Constitution, construct on public property a church, a mosque, a temple or a shrine to any deity under the sun. The law is very clear. There is no state religion in Kenya,” Omtatah stated.
Budget Trickery
Omtatah further raised alarm over the funding for the proposed project, alleging that it would be financed through a suspicious Ksh. 3.1 billion allocation buried under “other operating expenses” in the 2024/2025 State House budget.
He argued that this amount drastically increased from previous budget revisions is effectively a slush fund with no defined purpose, enabling the presidency to bankroll pet projects without parliamentary scrutiny.
“The Ksh. 3.1 billion is to be used for anything the President dreams up, like that Church,” he said, pointing to multiple sections of the Public Finance Management Act that demand transparency and itemisation in government spending.
Omtatah accused President Ruto of being “unscrupulous, deceitful, unethical, corrupt, unpatriotic, and lawless,” among other descriptors, asserting that the State House church plan was just the latest in a string of self-serving governance decisions.
Omtatah to the Government
According to Omtatah, the construction not only violates land-use laws governing public property but also shows the administration’s growing detachment from the suffering of ordinary Kenyans grappling with poverty and unemployment.
The alleged plan comes at a politically delicate moment for the Ruto administration, which is already under pressure following the 2024 Gen Z-led protests that forced revisions to government spending priorities.
The church project, if confirmed, is expected to fuel further criticism of what many see as the increasing personalization of the presidency.
State House has not yet issued a response to the allegations.
Ruto on Building the State House Mega Church
Ruto broke his silence after facing intense public backlash following reports that his administration is planning to construct an 8,000-seater church within the State House compound.
Also Read: Ruto Faces Legal Action Over Ksh1.2 Billion Church at State House
A report by the Daily Nation on Friday, July 4, revealed that the planned structure, estimated to cost about Ksh1.2 billion, will feature large stained-glass windows and prominent crosses, with the design indicating a full-scale religious facility.
Ruto, while speaking during a meeting with grassroots leaders from Embu County later during the day, defended the construction, saying that he is building a permanent chapel at State House at no cost to the government.
“I have no apologies to make for building churches. I’m being told that in today’s papers, they are saying that I’m building a church inside the State House. That’s true, I’m building one here in the State House,” he said.
While maintaining that he is using his own money, the Head of State denied founding a church, arguing that he had found a temporary one in place.
“I did not start the church at State House; I found it already there. The only problem is that it was built using iron sheets. So, I have decided to build a church that matches the State House,” Ruto added.
“And it will not cost the Government of Kenya even a single penny. I will build it using my own money because the house of God should reflect dignity and honour.”
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