The Rev. Samuel Ogutu said, "Our churches had been turned into political arenas in which politicians would only come to talk to the people in the service to beg for their votes. I am happy that it has been stopped.''

Saul Gituyi a lay leader at St James Church in Central Kenya said, "I support the archbishop's directive. Places of worship should not be turned into market places."

''Anglican Archbishop Jackson Sapit has given a directive banning fundraising in Anglican Churches a few weeks after restraining political speech during worship services indicates that he wants us to concentrate on our religious instructions while in Church instead of behind diverted to worldly issues.'' said Patrick Angira an Anglican secondary school teacher in the country's capital Nairobi.

Capital News quoted the archbishop saying, "We deliberated and we said we will separate politics from our thanksgiving. For the thanksgiving we will do in the church sanctuary where Christians will come and give their tithe and offerings but when we have Harambee for a specific thing, it will be organized outside of our worship set-up."

The Anglican leader reiterated the ban on politicking in church, lamenting that in the recent past politicians have assumed the role of the clergy in places of worship.

"Whereas all our churches welcome all worshipers, we have witnessed cases where politicians assume the role of clergy and use the pulpit as an arena for negative and divisive politics," Sapit noted.

In different parts of the country, Sunday services have increasingly transformed into political rallies of sorts following the ban on political gatherings in a move to contain the spread of COVID-19.

The takeover of churches by the politicians has put the clergy under pressure with claims that they have surrendered their authority to politicians in favor of handouts.

Sapit further backed the call by Catholic bishops for a truce between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto saying the Anglican Church was ready to take part in mediation efforts. He warned that disunity occasioned by the war of words between the two leaders will polarize the country.

"Our call still stands that the there has to be need for unity, but I affirm that as a team of church leaders we have been making those attempts. We cannot say we have come to an end on it, it is still a matter in our prayer closet," the Anglican Archbishop said.

Religious institutions had offered to mediate talks between President Kenyatta and Deputy President Ruto as the two leaders increasingly drift apart shunning joint public appearances.

The church leaders stated that the strained relationship between the two leaders poses a huge threat to the stability of the country as it edges closer to the 2022 general elections.

END