Anglican Church of Kenya Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit has reiterated his stance that churches should not be used as platforms for political speeches. Speaking during an interview with Citizen TV on Wednesday, Ole Sapit emphasized that places of worship must remain sacred spaces for prayers, repentance, humility, and offering hope to believers.
“What has happened of late is that the space has been claimed by everybody in the name of either greeting the congregation when they visit, and in addition, it becomes a place for giving other communications,” Ole Sapit stated. He noted that such political engagements often escalate into confrontational and demeaning discourse, undermining the true essence of worship.
The Archbishop called on church leaders to protect the sanctity of worship spaces by ensuring that only those assigned the responsibility of leading the congregation in prayer should address them. “It is a space we have to protect. Everybody is welcome to the church, but allow those who have been given the responsibility to lead the worship be the ones to do that,” he insisted.
In response to concerns that barring politicians from speaking in churches might impact church development and funding, Ole Sapit dismissed these fears, asserting that churches will continue to be built with or without political donations. He likened this to the biblical example of Nehemiah, who led the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls through divine provision. “The church has always been built by worshipers because God’s resources are there, and God will call the builders in His timing like Nehemiah,” he said.
Reverend Otieno Agola echoed the Archbishop’s sentiments, urging politicians to respect the sacredness of places of worship. “All politicians are welcome to church, and they can come and worship as any other person. But changing that house of worship into a political arena where you attack opponents and show off with large sums of money is wrong,” he stated.
In line with these sentiments, the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) recently issued a directive barring political activities in its member churches. The ban prohibits politicians from addressing congregants or having their donations publicly acknowledged.
As church leaders move to safeguard places of worship from political influence, the emphasis remains on ensuring that churches continue to be spaces for spiritual nourishment rather than political battlegrounds.
