Ahead of the 2022 general elections, some Christian denominations in Kenya, East Africa, have banned politicians from coming to their churches to campaign for votes.
Denominations which have issued such bans include Anglican, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and evangelical churches, Christianity Today reports.
Kenyans will be going to the poll to elect a president and members of the parliament.
CT reports that the churches, in issuing the ban, feared their services might be turned to campaign grounds and candidates could use language considered hate speech in an attempt to get the congregants to vote for them. Some of the politicians have even funded church projects with a view to making the congregants vote for them.
Presbyterian Church of East Africa was the first to impose the ban in July.
But ban on politicking in churches gained impetus when on September 12 the Anglican Primate of Kenya, Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit, disclosed that his church was going to take the measure.
He said during the ordination of Kenya’s first female bishop, “Everyone is welcome in the churches, but we have the pews and the pulpit. The pulpit is for the clergy and the pews for everyone who comes to worship.”
The Roman Catholic bishops on September 15 announced that their worship places were not places of politics and asked politicians not to attend Mass just like other worshippers do.
Evangelical Alliance of Kenya (EAK) followed suit two days later. On September 17, EAK cited instances where church leaders neglected their duty to ensure that the freedom of all worshippers are protected without infringement by visiting politicians.
“Politicians should not be allowed to exploit and abuse their privileges as leaders by violating the place of worship through politicking in church. This is a dishonour to God, defiles the sanctity of worship, and violates the rights of other worshipers,” Chairman of EAK, David Oginde and Secretary, Nelson Makanda, said in press release.
“Any address by such leaders should only be limited to greetings and not politicking in church. Different church traditions have different ways of acknowledging visitors; such tradition should be kept as long as it honours the sanctity of worship.
“Offerings and gifts given by visiting politicians should be treated as any other offering in obedience of the scripture that the left hand should not know what the right has given (Matthew 6.3)”
However, the Methodist church says it will welcome politicians.
Presiding Bishop of Kenya Methodist Church, Joseph Ntombura, said the church would adopt another approach, adding that it is not proper to shut out politicians because it would amount to discrimination.
He said, “The church is for all people. Human beings are political, so there is nothing wrong with inviting the politicians in church.”
Ntombura also said other members of the church need to hear the views of politicians on issues of national interest, including resource sharing.
According to him, the church had previously invited experts to speak to the congregations on important issues, adding that politicians are no exception.
“Some of the politicians are our pastors,” the cleric said.
Christians constitute about 85 per cent of Kenya’s population with Muslims accounting for 11 per cent.
Of the Christian population, 33 per cent are Protestants and 21 per cent Catholic. Evangelical, Pentecostal and African denominations make up the rest.
