The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) has directed that politicians will no longer be allowed to deliver political addresses in Catholic churches across the country.
The directive was issued during a press briefing to the nation held earlier today at Embu Diocese, where the bishops reaffirmed the need to preserve places of worship as sacred spaces dedicated to prayer, peace and spiritual nourishment.
Quoting Habakkuk 2:20, which states, “But Yahweh is in his holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before him!”, the bishops emphasised that churches should remain places of reverence, unity and love, free from political campaigns and partisan activities.
They noted that people from different political backgrounds visit places of worship seeking spiritual nourishment and inner peace, stressing that all worshippers should be welcomed without discrimination based on their political affiliations.
The bishops further called on priests, as pastoral leaders, to protect churches from being turned into political platforms, insisting that politicians have other avenues through which they can seek votes, including the media, public barazas and roadside rallies.
“Everyone is welcome to a place of worship. However, we have incidents where politicians attempt to use the places of worship as campaign platforms. As your shepherds, we emphasize that the pastoral agents in charge, particularly priests, have a pastoral obligation to protect sacred places from being used for political campaigns,” the KCCB statement read in part.
“We are therefore reiterating and directing that there shall not be any political address given in any of our Catholic Churches, in any part of the country,” the bishops declared.
They also instructed all Catholic priests to ensure the directive is implemented with diligence and the seriousness it deserves.
“We are therefore instructing all our priests to implement this position of the Bishops’ Conference, with diligence and the seriousness it deserves.”
The move underscores the Catholic Church’s position that places of worship should remain neutral spaces where Kenyans can come together in prayer, regardless of their political differences.
