NAIROBI, Kenya — President William Ruto is standing firm on his plan to build a chapel inside State House Nairobi, despite growing criticism from some religious leaders, including Anglican Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit.
Speaking on Sunday, July 6, during a church service at St. Mark’s College in Embu County to mark the 35th Diocesan Anniversary, Ruto made it clear: the church will be built, and not a single shilling of public funds will be used for it.
“We’ve said the construction will go on as planned,” Ruto stated, brushing off the pushback. “No government money will be spent on the project.”
The comments came days after Archbishop Ole Sapit publicly raised questions about the proposed chapel, including concerns over denominational representation and who exactly would be leading services. Ruto, without naming him directly at first, responded with a bit of ecclesiastical shade.
“There’s already a chaplain at State House,” Ruto said. “I found him there when I came into office, and he still leads prayers. I didn’t appoint him — he was already serving.”
The President’s remarks were echoed by State House Digital Strategist Dennis Itumbi, who earlier penned a detailed response to Archbishop Ole Sapit.
In a post that mixed history with political theater, Itumbi argued that, by proximity and tradition, the Archbishop already holds spiritual oversight of State House and would naturally be its “de facto bishop.”
“Your Grace, you don’t need to ask who should be the State House Bishop,” Itumbi wrote. “By tradition, geography, and divine proximity, you already are.”
The church-at-State-House debate has sparked mixed reactions online, with some Kenyans supporting the initiative as a show of faith, and others criticizing it as unnecessary — especially amid rising public discontent and protests driven by the Gen Z movement.
Ruto didn’t shy away from that national mood either. He used the Embu pulpit to call on the church to do more than just pray — urging religious leaders to step into their moral role as peacemakers and defenders of unity.
“Let us pray so the spirit of division and destruction does not rule over our country,” the President said. “I challenge the church to rise to its role in safeguarding the peace and moral fabric of our nation.”
