Impact of Ruto's donation being rejected by the Catholic Church

Devastating impact of unprecedented rejection of a Kenyan president's donation

We have come to a place where understanding Kenyan political developments has become a very slippery slope; so much so that there's no way you're going to be able to do it without depth or history. You can't avoid history. 

Now, over the last few hours something has happened that has never ever happened before in our history. Not only that, it is something that Kenyans of old would never have imagined in their worst nightmares. They would never have imagined that something like this would happen one day within the borders of the country called Kenya. 

This event is so serious that it is difficult to convince anybody (who understands) that it is not game-changing. Folks, we have reached a place where someone has rejected a donation from the President of the Republic of Kenya. That has never happened before, and nobody has ever envisaged anything close unfolding in our dear motherland. 

I am sure by now you have heard that the Catholic Church has rejected donations given to the their Church by President William S. Ruto and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja. But there is more. There is something much more disturbing. As disturbing as that issue of rejection is to someone who understands the way a nation is run, the role of a president, etc., there is still something much more serious than that emerging very clearly. 

You see, the Catholic Church, in rejecting the donation, cited a brand new law recently hurriedly passed in Parliament that many Kenyans are not aware of: the Public Fundraising Appeals Bill 2024. The long and short of what the Catholic Church is saying is that, according to that bill, the circumstances under which these donations were given were illegal—against the law. 

As per this brand new bill, which I know many Kenyans are still not aware of, this new law states that in order to raise money, you must have something called a permit. Therefore, what the Catholic Church is saying is that those who gave these donations did not go through the process required by this brand new law passed by that very same government.

Now, what is disturbing here—I’m sure you’ve already noticed—is that a government passes a new law, of course targeting some people, and then the same law, which you have passed, comes back to haunt you. 

This speaks to the decision-making process of this government. It tells us clearly that the decisions at the highest level of our government are made carelessly. They are made without putting too much thought into them, indeed even without information. How can you pass a law and then forget about it later? 

And there is more. Those who understand the Catholic Church will know that this decision was also made in ignorance. I choose my words carefully because there are some churches where a donation may not make such a big impact as it might in another church organization. 

We have talked about this in my previous video: the Catholic Church is one of the wealthiest organizations in the entire world. This is not a church organization that is always having fund raisers for this and the other. No, that is not how the Catholic Church works. Therefore, in making this decision, didn’t someone stop and ask themselves, “What church is this that we’re making a donation to? How will it be received?” A very simple question that would have guided the President's handlers enormously. 

And there’s still even more. You can decide to make some new friends, and therefore you make your donations very specific, maybe to a certain priest or to a project linked to that priest. Now consider the following scenario: your church organization has recently released a very strongly worded statement against the government, with blessings or orders from above. If you’re working in this organization and you’re a priest, would you comfortably receive a donation from that same government? Would you comfortably do that knowing that everything will be okay? Just think about it; you would definitely worry about what your bosses would think, wouldn’t you? That comes naturally. 

So, in making this decision to donate to the Catholic Church, why did the president’s handlers fail to advise him on these very pertinent, relevant issues? Why? 

I will tell you what is so scary about this: this may have been a small decision, maybe in your opinion with small consequences, but this implies that decisions right across the board are made in the same careless manner—without sitting down to analyze a situation, to think through a situation before deciding to take a course of action, including some decisions that would affect millions of Kenyans negatively. 

That is the very obvious implication here. Now, stick with me, and towards the end, I’m going to introduce a possibility—in fact, it’s more than a possibility. I’m going to introduce to you something that may be happening here behind the scenes that is very, very scary. Although many Kenyans will feel very, very happy about it, I’m not one of those Kenyans, but that is just me. 

Now, this is not the only church problem the Ruto Administration is currently facing. The Council of Churches in Nyanza Province has come out and threatened to lead the people in civil disobedience. The first target is taxes. They have threatened to mobilize their congregants and the general population to stop paying taxes to this government in civil disobedience. In fact, what these clergymen were saying, including top clerics, is that the opposition in Nyanza no longer exists, insinuating that they are now stepping in to fill that void.

It is amazing how these problems the Ruto government is facing just keep on coming, one after the other. What is happening? 

Either way, if there is something we can all agree on, it is the following: when a government starts getting such serious problems from the church—and not only the church, but including some very powerful church organizations—then there can be only one conclusion, and that is that government is in very serious trouble. 

You know, the Ruto Administration came into power as a ticket strongly supported by the church. I know that the Catholic Church was not among the churches supporting this presidency, but many, many other churches right across the country strongly supported Ruto’s candidacy for the presidency. Politicians frequently called the other side “Waganga.” The Ruto presidency was the church; the other side was the “waganga,” the witch doctors, etc.

However, right now, those same churches, many of them who supported this presidency, are coming out and saying no. They’re coming out, some of them very strongly and very openly, in support of a change of regime where this particular administration goes home. Most of them seem to be in agreement with the vast majority of Kenyans that this government has completely failed. This government has taken the country in a very wrong direction, and the result is that Kenyans are suffering. The way to bring this suffering to an end is to bring an end to this administration and the presidency of William Samoei Ruto. 

That is the stark reality on the ground; that is what is happening in Kenya. 

Now, there are some of us who may not believe that the church is such a serious, powerful opponent for any government to have, and I know for sure most of those who fall into this particular category are those who did not see the very powerful Moi presidency and therefore did not see the significant role the church played in bringing down the mighty KANU party that had led the country since independence for decades. Many did not see; maybe they were too young. They did not see the very vital role the church played then. 

All I can say to you is, never underestimate the power of the church, whatever you believe. Indeed, history tells us very clearly that any government from hundreds of years ago that was opposed by the church never survived. Perhaps the Ruto regime will be the first to do so; let’s wait and see. But already, the handling of the churches by the government is creating even more problems for itself. 

For instance, this drama with the Catholic Church, where now that church has rejected a very generous donation in public. That’s important because it would have been possible for the church to politely decline or reject these donations in; the public would not have been aware. But the Catholic Church has chosen to come out publicly to reject a hefty donation from the President of the Republic of Kenya. 

Now, whichever way you want to read this, that cannot be a good sign for the Ruto presidency. 

Now, I hope you’re ready for that scary thing I promised. In my opinion, I do not think that it is a coincidence that these churches are coming out so suddenly and so forcefully to reject the Ruto presidency. 

I think that there could be some very powerful forces behind it, and those powerful forces—wait for this one—may be closely linked to the same powerful forces who were of great assistance to William Samoei Ruto in making him President of the Republic of Kenya. 

Now, I’m not sure if you fully absorbed what I have just said. And while we’re still there, let me also throw in something else that happened recently: the U.S. envoy to Kenya resigned. They decided not to wait for January; they decided not to wait until they were recalled. They suddenly resigned. 

Now, you throw in that event into all this drama that is happening in the churches, especially with the Catholic Church, and tell me if you still think that is a mere coincidence. In my view, there are tell-tale signs that these are not coincidences. There are some very powerful people who are already looking ahead to a Kenya where Ruto will not be president, and what is happening is that they’re trying to position themselves so that what is coming will also favor them in the same way that the Ruto presidency has favored those very powerful forces. 

I know that may be music to the ears of a lot of Kenyans because, after all, they just want Ruto gone. They don’t care how; as long as Ruto goes, it is okay; it doesn’t matter how it goes. However, in my opinion, it matters. Because, in case you didn’t know, our biggest problem here, apart from this presidency, has been some of those powerful forces, and therefore a situation where they remain influential in the country is not a good idea in my opinion. 

Please allow me to leave it there. 

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