Opposition leader Raila Odinga has hit at corrupt leaders saying they have turned churches into their avenues for laundering money obtained illegally from public coffers.
According to the influential Orange Democratic Movement party leader, religious centers were slowly becoming a stumbling block in the fight against corruption as they are among the major beneficiaries of the looted money in terms of donations and fundraisers.
Speaking on Saturday, April 20, during a church function in Ahero, Kisumu county, the fiery Opposition honcho called on religious leaders to support President Uhuru Kenyatta in the fight against graft.
“What we have been saying is that we have seen churches being used as avenues for laundering money acquired illegally. We cannot fight corruption if we cannot fight it’s tentacles, every weekend people are going for Harambees in churches and donating money with the faithfuls clapping for them without questioning the source of their money,” he said.
Although the former prime minister did not make reference to anybody in particular, it is clear that he has been at loggerheads with Deputy President William Ruto over the latter’s huge donations in church fundraisers.
Ruto’s penchant for church donations has been a subject of heated debate with a number of Kenyan leaders questioning the source of the millions he has been using to bankroll church activities all over the country.
However, the man from Sugoi village in Uasin Gishu county has often defended his donations saying he remains a strong Christian believer dedicated to spreading the Gospel through whatever means including supporting church development.