Kenya is in political angst.
Public confidence is at an all-time low. Political violence is spreading. Youth frustration is growing. Those entrusted with leadership are detached from the daily struggles of ordinary people. In such moments, society inevitably turns to one institution that has historically spoken when other voices fell silent: the Church.
Yet a debate has emerged. Some politicians, like Hon. Nelson Koech, MP, insist that the Church should stay away from politics and focus on prayer. Others, including Hon. S.K. Musyoka, the opposition leader, urge the Church to speak more boldly. The question is not whether the Church should involve itself in partisan politics. It should not. Does the Church have a public responsibility beyond worship and prayer?
The answer is yes. It does.
The Church has a prophetic vocation. That vocation obligates it to speak when justice is threatened, when power is abused, and when human dignity is violated.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the former Chief Rabbi of the Commonwealth, observed that the fundamental concern of the prophetic tradition is with equality and a critique of the abuse of power. The biblical prophets consistently defended the poor and challenged rulers who oppressed the vulnerable. Prophecy was never merely about predicting the future. It was about telling the truth in the present. This was exemplified by the likes of Archbishops David Gitari, Ndingi Mwana a Nzeki, and Bishops John Okulu and Alexander Muge, among many Kenyan clerics.
Kenya’s current circumstances demand precisely such a voice.
Walter Brueggemann, in The Prophetic Imagination (1978), identifies three central tasks of prophetic ministry. The first is to tell the truth in a society that lives in illusion. The second is to grieve in a society that practices denial. The third is to express hope in a society tempted by despair. These are not political tasks in a partisan sense. They are moral and spiritual responsibilities.
Today, Kenya needs truth.
Citizens are increasingly concerned about corruption, state violence, economic hardship, and the erosion of public trust. The Church cannot honestly witness these realities and remain silent. Silence in moments of injustice is not neutrality. It is surrender.
Yet speaking prophetically is not the same as pursuing political power.
The Church is not called to govern the state. Nor is it called to endorse parties or candidates. Its role is different. It serves as the conscience of society. It reminds leaders that political authority exists to serve the common good and not private interests.
This distinction is important.
Canon Chris Sugden, of the Oxford Centre for Religious and Public Life, argues that bishops are fundamentally pastors and overseers. Their primary responsibility is to teach, pray, guard the faith, and strengthen the Church. The detailed translation of Christian convictions into political and social action often belongs to believers working within society itself.
Even so, this does not relieve church leaders of their public responsibility. Read it all in The Elephant