Kenya’s pulpits and politics joined at the hip (almost)

ODM leader Raila Odinga (left) and DP William Ruto. [File, Standard]

In the recent past, the clergy has stepped up efforts to tame “rogue” politicians who have converted church pulpits into campaign platforms.

While some may view this as a new development, history shows that the church has been at the centre of state power politics since the collapse of the Roman Empire. It is important to insist here that church, as used here, means “institution of the church” and not “church as the body of believers”.

The fall of the pagan Roman Empire, and the subsequent spread of Christianity in the Mediterranean placed the church at the nerve of state power until the time of the Renaissance when secular governments became popular, hence eroding the role of the church in state politics and power.

After hundreds of years of influence in state affairs, the role of the church in state power declined following years of abuses by clergy that inspired the Church Reformation championed by Martin Luther and others in the 16th Century. Although the role of the church in state affairs declined significantly, the legacy remains palpable with imposing Cathedrals dominant in all European cities.

Even after the Renaissance, where religion and state are seen as separate entities, the church continues to influence the nature and manner in which state politics manifests.

This separation may have been inspired by Jesus’ own words: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s,” in Mark 12:17. While this separation is distinct, it is not entirely separate, as both church and state claim the people’s loyalty.

Cross. [Reuters]

The renowned Nicolo Machiavelli, in The Prince, clearly captures how one politician hid in the cloak of religion, but in reality “had no mercy, faith, humanity, or integrity”.

According to Machiavelli, politicians should be seen as religious, but never be. This explains why politicians attend worship services of different religions, as the intention is not to be religious, but appear to be for purposes of wooing supporters from different faith inclinations.

While in theory church pulpit should be devoid of politics, in practice it is almost impossible to separate the two, given their historical ties. In the United Kingdom, for example, the Church of England, headed by the Queen, is the state religion, although the country is almost entirely secular.

In Kenya, the profile of the role of religion in politics was raised before the 2013 General Election, when then-presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta and his running mate William Ruto used their popular “prayer rallies” to drum up support for their candidature.

These rallies saw the duo kneel for prayers, something that moved their supporters and helped them consolidate their support. Elsewhere, in 2009, Raila Odinga had to be baptised by the self-styled prophet Owuor, a move that may have been more political than religious, given the massive support the prophet enjoys and the possibility that these could be converted into a Raila voting bloc.

In a country that is extremely religious and where about 80 per cent claim to be Christians, the church platform will continue to be a target of politicians. I will not deviate into the matter of Kenya being a very corrupt country with extremely religious people, yet every meeting begins with a word of prayer!