A Catholic church in Kisii County has threatened to return a KSh 100,000 donation given by Dagoretti North MP Simba Arati.
The church is said to have been irked by the MP’s actions of storming out of a service after being denied a chance to speak.
Simba Arati, who is eyeing the Kisii gubernatorial seat donated the KSh 100,000 in a church service attended by Pope’s representative to Kenya, Hubertus Matheus Maria van Megan.
Bobasi MP Innocent Obiri addresed the congregation and invited Kiminini MP Chirs Wamalwa and Ford Kenya Party leader Moses Wetang’ula to speak.
This angered Arati, who walked out of the church and addressed his supporters outside.
“I was instructed to allow only two specific members to speak. My colleague, Arati, started protesting why I did not allow him to speak. Police took him out of the church,” Bobasi MP Innocent Obiri said.
A report by the Standard indicates that the catholic church intends to return the money as a lesson to other politicians politicking in the pulpit.
“It is unfortunate that some political leaders give donations to the church as a way of wanting to have an audience right inside the church. We need to approach matters of Christianity and church with a lot of care and sobriety,” a source in the church said.
The catholic church banned politicians from speaking in church, terming it as disrespectful.
It also gave orders against church leaders allowing donations from politicians who expect to campaign at the pulpit in return.
“Any politician who attends mass must do so like any other worshipper and in special consideration given to him or her to propagate his or her political agenda nor address the congregation in our places of worship,” the church said.
