Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua has said that the church, in general, shall be in trouble should ODM leader Raila Odinga become president after the August 9 General Election.
Speaking at a local religious function in Nyeri on Monday, March 29, Rigathi argued there is every indication a Raila presidency is bad for churches in Kenya.
“Mjue Kanisa ya kristo itakuwa kwa hatari huyo mtu (Raila Odinga) kwa bahati mbaya akipenya kuwa rais (Know that the Church of Christ will be in danger if that man (Raila Odinga) unfortunately becomes the president),” Gachagua said.
Gachagua cited recent calls by Raila’s wife Ida Odinga to disband small churches and the flopped attempts by the ODM party to make laws that limit church contributions to KSh 100k would be brought back should Raila win the presidency.
“Na mjue wale wengine wanatisha kanisa. Wanasema ni makosa kutoa matoleo kanisani. Alileta mswada bungeni kupitia John Mbadi ati mchango wa kanisa upigwe marufuku na tukakataa,
Loosely translated to: “And know that those who are threatening the church. They say it is wrong to give offerings to the church. He introduced a bill in parliament through John Mbadi seeking to have church donations banned.”
Earlier on, Kivumbi.co.ke reported that Raila’s wife asked the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) to abolish some churches that are not run by trained theologians.
She was forced to letter withdrew the statement following public pressure.
Speaking on Sunday, January 30, during the launch of the Christian Book by Archbishop Emeritus Habbakuk Abogno, Ida urged NCCK to regulate the establishment of churches and shut down those that fail to meet the required standards.
“We want Kenyans to subscribe to religions that are formally registered. It is also important that we conduct training for all those who minister the word of God,” Ida remarked.
It is understood that in 2019, the ODM leader through National Assembly Minority leader John Mbadi wrote to National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi and proposed amendments to the Public Officer Ethics Act that sought to cap Harambee contributions to KSh100,000.
