Raila Odinga has criticized a section of church leaders for participating in what he termed as “political agitation” and “association with injustice.”
While speaking on Sunday during Christmas mass at St. Peters’ Anglican Church in Bondo, Siaya County, the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya coalition party leader accused the church of failure to stand firm against injustice in the country.
“I want to plead with our church. The church should be the conscience of the people and stand firm against injustice. I will not give a blanket criticism, but we have seen church leaders associate themselves with injustice in our country,” he said.
Moreover, MR. Odinga took issue with Church leaders who took part in the August 15 presidential results announcement by IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati. He stated that those members of the clergy are “a disgrace to the pulpit.”
The opposition boss further claimed that after lodging a petition at the Supreme Court to challenge the presidential election results, some leaders, particularly from the Anglican Church, approached members of Azimio coalition, asking them to withdraw the petition.
“I am a Christian and very sad to see the leadership of our Anglican Church getting involved in political agitation and asking Azimio politicians who had petitioned the elections to withdraw the petition supposedly in the interest of communal unity,” said Odinga.
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Likewise, Raila criticized the clergy who have been giving political leaders a platform in church to bash their political nemeses and carry out smear campaigns.
“You have seen some churches turned into laterals of political agitation and campaigns. Every Sundays, the political leadership is going to churches, to pray, but once the service is over, they take over the church and use that platform to vilify and insult some Kenyans as the clergy sitting behind cheers,” Raila stated.
The former prime minister also noted that the church should not be used as a political platform.
He added that today Kenya’s top leadership is every Sunday, visiting different churches announcing what they have done.
According to Odinga, government programs should be given in government offices or platforms and not in churches.
