Political rivals in their best behaviour when they meet in Church

President William Ruto and former President Uhuru Kenyatta during the Consecration and Installation of Bishop Peter Kimani Ndung'u, in Embu county, on November 16, 2024.  [PCS]

It was a meeting of the year as Mt Kenya East met the West and leaders who have not been on talking terms for months suddenly found themselves sharing a podium, hosted and united by a church they have been vilifying. 

The University of Embu grounds provided a rare spectacle where President William Ruto and his estranged former deputy Rigathi Gachagua met for the first time, since they parted ways on October 18 when the latter was impeached.

They had attended the episcopal ordination and installation of Bishop Peter Kimani Ndung’u as the Catholic Diocese of Embu head.

The consecration ceremony which was led by Archbishop Hubertus Matheus Martin Van Megen’ Apostolic Nuncio to Kenya also brought Ruto face to face with  and his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta. They first met during  Ruto’s inauguration ceremony on September 13, 2022 and later met on November 28, 2022  during the third inter-Congolese consultations  of the Nairobi peace process  after

The ordination ceremony also gave the President an opportunity to visit Embu after postponing the first event on July and another one last month where he was expected to preside over the 34th ACK diocesan anniversary celebrations at the St Mark’s Teachers Training College, Kigari after the event coincided with the height of Gachagua’s impeachment.

In July, the Head of State cancelled his visit to the ACK church at the height of Gen Z threats that they would occupy the church, a move that saw the President avoid public gathering.

Yesterday as Ruto  spoke about the controversial Universal Health Coverage (UHC) the congregants murmured as a sign of disapproval but  were wildly cheered  when Nyeri Bishop, Anthony Muheria acknowledged the presence of Gachagua and Uhuru.

Gachagua was relegated  to sit with his allies in the tent where ordinary Christians sat while the President, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and Uhuru sat the Presidential dais where Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire, State dignitaries and county government official’s sat.

The former Deputy President was not given a chance to address the people and neither were other elected leaders apart from for the governor, the President, his deputy and Uhuru.

From Left: MPs Njeri Maina (Kirinyaga), Gathoni Wamuchomba (Githunguri), former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Maragua MP Mary Wamaua and Kiambu Senator Karungo Thang'wa during the Consecration and Installation of Bishop Peter Kimani Ndung'u, in Embu county.  [Muriithi Mugo, Standard]

Uhuru used the opportunity to advise leaders to respect the electorate saying the respect was twofold. He also urged leaders to shun tribalism and to embrace unity and reconciliation of the country.

“Let’s pray for peace, unity and reconciliation between leaders and the electorate. Let us stop tribalism but embrace love for one another. We are all Kenyans. Kenya can’t succeed if we are divided, trading barbs and accusations, without respect to each other,” Uhuru said amid applause by members of the public.

Immediately after delivering his short speech, Uhuru gave out his gift to the newly consecrated Bishop, whom he described as personal friend explaining he would leave immediately after the speech by the President as nowadays he is tired of ‘noise’

“I don’t have much to say I don’t have many stories nowadays, I only watch TV and listen to the radios. Allow me to deliver my gift to the bishop as I will leave immediately after the President’s speech. Nowadays I  don’t like ‘noisy places and speed as they give me headache,” said Uhuru.

He described the new bishop as polite, humble and respectful, and said that following the his  consecration he had lost a close friend as he would not access him now by virtue of his new status.

Consecration and Installation of Bishop Peter Kimani Ndung'u, as the head of the Catholic Diocese of Embu on November 16, 2024. [Muriithi Mugo, Standard]

President Ruto lightened the tension when he recounted how the Catholic bishops had dressed him and his government down on Thursday through their stinging criticism.

He said that he nevertheless presided over the graduation ceremony  on Friday at Tangaza University which is owned by the Catholic Church.

In their address , the  Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops touched on increased murder incidents, femicide, and rampant corruption.

Ruto said he would worship at one of the Catholic churches for him to ‘finish’ the week he had started with the Church.

He roped in Uhuru in his defence of what he had achieved explaining that  his administration was continuing with  the former president’s projects   such as the affordable housing, the Universal Health Coverage (UHC), and the implementation of the Competency-based curriculum (CBC).

“We started the CBC in 2017 and next year, our pupils will proceed to grade 9, already we have already bought books, our MPs are constructing 5,000 classrooms while the national government is building 11,000 classrooms. Already we have employed 46,000 junior secondary school teachers and by this December we shall have hired 20,000 teachers,” Ruto said.

On affordable housing a project initiated by Uhuru, President Ruto said the project is 80 per cent complete in Embu as he reported that his administration was constructing 160,000 units across the country even as he reiterated that his pet health project was ‘a must do’.

“I want to make sure that as we agreed with the electorate, health will not be a preserve of the rich, it will be a right of every citizen. I would like to assure Kenyans and the Catholic bishops that the way they have corrected us on various mishaps in the Social Health Authority, we shall correct because universal health coverage is a must do because it will make the difference and make sure that no citizen is left behind,” he said.

But the members of public were not very enthusiastic about the UHC and could be heard murmuring disapproval of a project that has proved controversial since its roll out more than  two months ago.  Kindiki censured government officials and elected leaders who bashed the church after its hard hitting statement.

He said the country was grateful to the Catholic Church for sponsoring numerous educational, health, water and other projects which he observed had gone a long way in improving the quality of life and improving the living standards of the people of Kenya.

“It’s a sign that the Church looks at the holistic development of the people of Kenya not just the spiritual nourishment but also their social economic well being. I pray and plead with the church to continue praying for our country so that we may live in peace, harmony. We may have a secure country so that we can be able to worship God and raise our family in the country that God gave us,” he said.

Kindiki’s remarks contrasted the stance taken by  government against the Church where  senior officials, including the President, had accused  the bishops of not being factual.