By IP Reporter.
NAIROBI, Kenya (IP).
Wiper party leader and former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka has issued a scathing rebuke of President William Ruto’s plan to construct a church within the State House compound, calling it a “tragic drama” and warning that the move amounts to “impeachable offences.”
In a fiery statement posted online, Kalonzo accused Ruto of breaching the constitutional separation of church and state, urging him to drop the plan and respect the secular nature of the presidency.
“Mr. President William Samoei Ruto, what you are doing are impeachable offences,” Kalonzo said.
“There is a clear line of separation between state and religion. Even the colonialists didn’t build a church at the Government House!”
He went further, referencing Kenya’s 2010 Constitution and the legacy of President Mwai Kibaki.
“Drop this tragic drama and let Kenyans enjoy the freedoms President Kibaki left us,” he added.
The backlash follows President Ruto’s confirmation that a new church would be built inside State House—privately funded, according to the Head of State.
He described it as an upgrade from a tin-roofed prayer space that already existed within the grounds, insisting: “I have no apologies to make.”
“I’m not using government money; I’ll build the church with my own money,” Ruto said in a separate event, defending the project amid public criticism.
However, critics—including the Atheists in Kenya Society—say the move sets a dangerous precedent.
The group has threatened legal action, citing Article 8 of the Constitution, which prohibits the establishment of a state religion.
“It doesn’t matter who funds it,” said a legal analyst. “State House is not private property. The optics and implications matter.”
Kalonzo’s remarks reflect growing unease in some political and civil society circles that the President’s public displays of faith are crossing into official policy and state function—undermining the constitutional commitment to secular governance.
“If you are the holder of the highest office in the land, act in accordance with the Constitution you swore to uphold,” Kalonzo urged.
As public debate intensifies, the President’s critics say this is less about religion and more about power and symbolism—and whether State House belongs to all Kenyans or just those who share the President’s faith.
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