Of Alters and Thrones of Politics in Kenya
Pastors and politicians have a lot in common. They both thrive on peoples emotional being and if not careful, they can easily turn followers into cults or sycophants, a name for each but meaning the same. The two promise things that neither of them can deliver. One promises us heaven and another a strong link to development.
If you are keen you will notice they both attract a similar crowd. They need a platform to spew of their “wisdom”. You have to be charismatic to survive as either of the two. If you attended a political rally or a crusade, you will notice how similar the events can be; music will be used immensely to engage the crowd; there is always an enemy to fight against, it could be the devil or the opponent.
Whilst they attract crowds depending on ones popularity, they all have an inner circle whose support and allegiance comes close to refutable following. A follower of either one of the two can be lethal to the masses and beneficial to the master. Allegiance is key in these two careers. But they say, proximity to power does delude some into thinking they wield it.
Denis Dideroit in the spirit of pushing the church needs to the state once said, the distance between the throne and the alter can never be too great. But these our politicians over the last week’s have proven the need for a separation of the two institutions. The last few weeks have been a culmination of a brewing pot whose kitchen was set in last year’s politics and the church as the pot for politicians to drink and brew from. They started off as visitors and friends of the church who’d come to fundraise for a project. But there is little honesty in these ones.
The church being home and welcoming as always slowly lost grip, or maybe it was the generous contributions that left it unable to call them out. Whatever the case, the last few weeks have seen the Kieleweke and Tangatanga teams overthrow the pastors from their pulpits and taken it on to speak of their disregard for the opponents.
It is not only displaced but it depicts a picture of a corrupt moral fibre whose only healing can be achieved via proper separation of the institutions. If a politician must attend a church service, let them do so as normal members. If they must tell of any political telling, let them call for a political forum to do so. And if churches must avoid these dramas, let them have strong rules to curb these rogue politicians.
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