Azimio La Umoja leader Raila Odinga has bashed the Aglican Church Of Kenya for involving itself into politics during the August presidential elections.
Raila Odinga with church leaders/PHOTO: CURTESY
Making a speech at a church service in Siaya county, Odinga blamed the Anglican Church for pursuading him the Azimio team to drop their Supreme Court petition against President William Ruto’s win.
Odinga said that the church in collaboration with some community elders was urging Azimio to withdraw the case or else they would be cursed.
“We were saddened to see the leadership of the Anglican Church getting involved in the political agitation, asking politicians particularly those from Azimio who had petitioned the outcome of the election because of rigging that they must withdraw the petition in the interest of unity and went ahead to put pressure on the elders from some communities to say that if those who had rejected the results don’t withdraw the challenge, they will be cursed,” Raila said.
Raila also blamed the church for ‘turning a blind eye’ to social injustices in the country.
He further alleged that the current administration is using church platforms to attack the opposition, stating that it is shameful that the clergy continues to allow President Ruto and his allies to use the altar to advance their political interests.
“The church should be the conscience of society. The church should act firmly against injustices. Am not giving blanket criticism against the church, but we have seen for example church leaders associating themselves with injustices of our country.
We never go to church to play politics. The top leadership of this country has taken to church platforms to shout at us, telling us the government has done this and that. The government programmes are implemented in government offices or political platforms and not in the churches,” Raila claimed.
