A planned Ksh1.2 billion church at State House project inside the State House has sparked a wave of public anger, with Kenyans questioning President William Ruto’s leadership focus amid a backdrop of economic hardship, rising public debt, and youth-led protests over governance.
The announcement, which surfaced just days after mass demonstrations demanding accountability and austerity, has been widely condemned online as tone-deaf and symbolic of misplaced priorities.
“How do you preach water and drink wine? Kenyans are dying in hospitals without medicine, students are home due to lack of school fees, and now we’re spending billions on a church inside the most powerful office in the country?” read one viral post on X.
Critics argue that while faith is a personal conviction, weaponizing religion for political optics, especially with taxpayer money, is a dangerous path. Youth activists and civil society leaders have called the project “a sanctified scandal”, warning that the government is increasingly out of touch with the people it serves.
State House has yet to respond to the growing backlash formally, but the anger is loud and clear: Kenyans want services, not sanctuaries built in their name.
