Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya Jackson Ole Sapit on Sunday, September 12, blocked former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi from speaking at a church function.
Sapit was attending the consecration of Rev. Rose Okeno as the Bishop of the Butere Diocese at the Butere Girls Secondary School Kakamega County where Odinga and Mudavadi were invited as guests.
He stated that he would not allow any political comments in the church, adding that it is a no-go zone for political rhetoric. He further disclosed that leaders would only be allowed to worship at the church and leave quietly just like other members of the congregation.
"I know that most of you are members of the church, but because of where we are, I beg to be understood that we have to let the church be the church when it gathers," Sapit stated.
The archbishop explained that if he gave a chance to speak during the function to any of the outfits, the other would also ask to be given airtime, something that the church has no time for.
"So what I will do is this, I will read the names of all our members, whom we respect so much, leaders of our society who have come to grace the occasion, and if you want to address the press, they will address when the service is ended," the head of the Anglican Church reiterated.
Sapit added that the church had become a battle ground for political expediency and is no longer regarded as a place of worship. He also called out the media for their role in the same stating that when a sermon is given in a church, they do not air it but instead focus on the political statements made in the church.
"And from today onwards, I have banned politicians from speaking inside the Anglican Church. Even if you (the media) put your cameras there, they will not speak," Sapit reiterated.
Raila had been accompanied by the Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya, ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna while Mudavadi was accompanied by Ford Kenya Party Leader Moses Wetangula and Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malalah.
The decree by Ole Sapit prompted Mudavadi and Wetangula to walk out of the event. They were disappointed that they would not be given a chance to talk.
The ban by Sapit, came at the right time, given the tension that was steadily rising between ANC and ODM following the NASA fallout. Both factions have had a go at each other, airing out their political differences not only on the pulpit but also in the media.
Mudavadi and his team on one side, a team relentlessly pursuing him to run for presidency while on the other corner is Odinga's team who think that the former did not have a shot at the Presidency without him.
Both factions have wasted no chance to tear each other down, and the only subject they agree on is that their common enemy, Deputy President William Ruto, should not succeed incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta.
