Kenyan Archbishop Opposes Church at State House

By Jesse Masai

THE LIVING CHURCH

July 11, 2025

The president of Kenya intends to build a $9 million church at his State House residence, and the Anglican Church of Kenya’s archbishop has expressed his deep opposition.

The nation’s president, Dr. William Ruto, says he will not apologize for proposing the 8,000-seat church, which he says he will fund, but the archbishop, Dr. Jackson Ole Sapit, says it sends the wrong message.

A Kenyan court is expected to rule July 24 on a legal challenge to the proposal.

“I have no problem with building a place of worship. The problem is the location,” Ole Sapit told Kenya’s leading newspaper, Daily Nation, which broke the story on July 4.

“State House is the seat of power of a human institution called the government. The Church is a sanctuary to worship God, and it is supposed to be set apart from any unholy use—representing God’s kingdom,” Ole Sapit said. “When you have a Church in State House, which kingdom does it represent?”

The archbishop added: “Putting a church in State House is a declaration that Christianity is the state religion, against the Constitution, which defines Kenya as a secular state that embraces all religions.

“Will the president be the bishop or leader of this church, as we have seen him recently lead public prayers?”

The archbishop also said there is no urgent need for the new church building.

“This is not a priority. We have many churches around State House where all those living there can worship,” Ole Sapit said from the United States, where he is reportedly on sabbatical. The new church “will undermine the security of State House, as many will come in the name of worship with other intentions.”

Ole Sapit and the nation’s other Anglican bishops wrote on July 11 that “moderate prayer rooms can be created for the purposes of individual or private devotions for persons who must worship on the site.”

Attorney Levi Munyeri has sued the president, arguing that Ruto has disregarded the need for approval by Kenya’s parliament.

He wrote on X.com that the nation’s High Court has certified his application “seeking to stop the construction of the megachurch at State House Nairobi. … The construction is going nowhere.”

While the East African country has an estimated 85 percent Christian majority, the president’s proposal has sparked anger among its citizens, who are weighed down by economic and political grievances.

Muslims have asked Ruto to also build a mosque at the State House.

Roman Catholic Archbishop Philip Anyolo called for clarity to prevent perceptions of bias.

“We have to be very cautious with this,” Anyolo told the BBC. “Such a structure ought to have been built in an area that is not a public institution, unless what is being built is a chaplaincy, but that is also not clear.”

Ruto said that he found a small chapel on the State House property, but he deemed it unfit for the presidency.

Dennis Itumbi, a consultant to President Ruto and a grandson of the late Archbishop David Gitari, defended the project.

“For the record: when the British colonialists constructed State House, they also deliberately carved out a premium parcel of land right next to Gate A,” Itumbi wrote on X.com. “That property is called Archbishop Bourne. It wasn’t an accident. The intention was deliberate;  the Archbishop of the Anglican Church was to serve as the spiritual adviser to the colonial Governor, and later, to the President of the Republic.

“That’s why Archbishop Bourne sits within whispering distance of the seat of power. In fact, the property was built with this spiritual mandate in mind. Within its architecture stands a fully furnished 100-seater chapel, designed to host prayers and provide counsel to the Head of State. The physical infrastructure to support that role has always been there. It is part of the house that Sapit uses as his Nairobi home.”

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