Nairobi — United Democratic Alliance Presidential candidate promised to protect faith institutions if elected President on August 9, assuring church leaders of his commitment to safeguard the freedom of worship as provided for in the Constitution.
Speaking at a prayer summit organized by Grace Gachagua, the spouse of his running mate Rigathi Gachagua, Ruto assured the clergy that his administration will do whatever it takes to protect religious freedom in the country.
Ruto said that there will be no church closed under his watch while undertaking to allow unhindered registration of new churches to allow Kenyans celebrate the diversity of their faith.
"My running mate and I undertake that we will do whatever it takes to keep this country as a God-fearing nation. We commit that no church will be closed under our watch," he said during the meeting convened at the Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi on Saturday.
"We commit that the registration of churches shall proceed unhindered," he assured the religious men and women.
The Deputy President promised to partner religious institutions in formulating the development agenda and key policy interventions of areas such as education and health.
"We will work with the men and women of other faith, we will keep our nation from practices that do not respect our God," he declared.
"We will actively promote the word of God in Kenya so that it will be a country that celebrates our God and celebrate that which is good for all the people of Kenya," he added while outlining his commitment to churches.
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Ruto urged the clergy to take a wise decision in deciding the future of the country.
"As we move towards the elections, continue to pray for our country Kenya, so that every citizen will have an opportunity to exercise their democratic right without blackmail, intimidation and coercion because God is a God that gives a second chance to every citizen and every person," he added.
Ruto has fashioned himself as a pro-church candidate using religious networks as a campaign platform to propagate his bottom-up economic model that promises policy interventions to ensure access to affordable capital for small enterprises in a bid to empower people at the bottom of the economic pyramid.
His Kenya Kwanza Alliance has criticized proposals to regulate religious institutions fronted by Raila Odinga, his main challenger, who has accused some religious leaders of monetizing the pulpit.
In January 2022, Odinga's spouse Ida came under after she called for regulation of churches to tame the unchecked mushrooming of worship centres across the country.
Ida challenged the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), a fellowship of protestant churches with no control on registration of new churches, to "regulate the establishment of churches" and disband small churches.
"We want worshippers to get quality sermons, that can only be achieved if the priests, bishops are well trained," she told a gathering at the Church of Christ in Kisumu during the launch of a book authored by Archbishop Emeritus Habakkuk Abogno.
