Kenyan President William Ruto is under mounting criticism following his decision to build a $9.3 million mega church at his official residence, as the country grapples with soaring inflation, economic instability, and deadly anti-government protests.
The church, expected to seat over 8,000 people and cost KES 1.2 billion, is to be constructed in central Nairobi. News of the project has stirred widespread public anger, with many questioning its timing and necessity amid Kenya’s worsening cost-of-living crisis.
The controversy comes in the wake of massive protests that left at least 31 people dead and over 500 arrested, as citizens voiced frustration over economic policies they say are deepening poverty.
Critics have also raised constitutional concerns over placing a religious structure on state property. A legal petition by lawyer Levy Munyeri argues that the move breaches Kenya’s secular constitution, which prohibits the promotion of any state religion. The matter is now before the High Court.
Despite growing backlash, President Ruto has remained defiant. “I am not going to ask anyone for an apology for building a church. The devil might be angry and can do what he wants,” he declared on July 4, asserting that he would fund the project personally.
Analysts believe Ruto is unlikely to face institutional obstacles. Political commentator Dr. Denis Galava notes that the president has effectively neutralized opposition by bringing key figures from rival camps into his government. “Parliament is now a lapdog. No one can stop him,” Galava told Africanews.
Ruto, Kenya’s first openly evangelical head of state, has consistently used religion as a cornerstone of his political identity. Nicknamed “deputy Jesus” during his 2022 campaign, he previously built a chapel at his former residence in Nairobi’s Karen suburb.
As public dissatisfaction grows, critics argue the mega church highlights a disconnect between Ruto’s personal agenda and the urgent needs of ordinary Kenyans.
