Once seen as a neutral and sacred space, the church is now at the centre of a political storm, with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua accusing President William Ruto of weaponising the pulpit to silence dissent.
Gachagua alleged that the president, through a network of proxies and influential operatives, has been exerting control over church leadership in an attempt to undermine him politically. According to the Deputy President, clerics who welcome or associate with him often face sudden transfers or forced exits shortly after his visits.
"These leaders from the AIPCA were invited to the church almost two weeks ago and given stern instructions not to host me. The President has become a dictator even in the church, with intentions to dictate who should or should not be allowed to worship," Gachagua stated.
Reflecting on his time as an administrative officer under President Daniel Arap Moi, Gachagua claimed that even Moi—often criticised for his heavy-handed rule—never sought to manipulate the church in such a manner.
"He has become desperate with intentions to direct the church on who can host us and who cannot. This is the highest form of dictatorship, and even President Moi did not go that far," he remarked.
Gachagua cited specific incidents, including the transfer of an archdeacon who had welcomed him in Kiguyo and Rwathia and mounting pressure on a bishop in Lari who had hosted him. In both cases, he claimed state operatives had moved swiftly to intimidate or remove church leaders deemed sympathetic to him.
The former Mathira MP further alleged a pattern of interference that seeks to isolate him from key religious constituencies, especially in Central Kenya, where the church plays a significant social and political role.
Despite the alleged pressure, Gachagua maintained that he and his allies would not be deterred from attending church services, vowing to resist any attempts to lock them out of places of worship.
"No one will stop us from worshipping. The church belongs to God, not to any one individual or political office," he said defiantly.
In related developments, following the killing of Catholic priest Father John Maina Ndegwa, the parish priest of Igwamiti Parish in Nyandarua County, Gachagua revealed that he used to criticise the government before his brutal death.
According to Gachagua, the priest, whom he termed as a personal friend and counsellor, gave a 'powerful sermon and spoke his mind on the state of the nation' two weeks before his death, where he was discovered along the Nakuru-Nairobi highway near the Diatomite stage on Thursday, May 15, by a bodaboda rider with bruises on the left side of his head.
According to reports, on April 27, 2025, Maina attended a silver jubilee anniversary ceremony of Igwamiti Catholic Parish and the ordination of Father Simon Thuita, where Gachagua, accompanied by other politicians, attended the ceremony before the discovery.
