BY ANGELA R. KIURA
President William Ruto has dismissed reports alleging that his government is constructing a Sh1.2 billion church within State House, terming the claims as baseless and exaggerated.
Speaking during a church service at St. Mark Teachers Training College in Manyatta, Embu County, on Sunday, Ruto clarified that the church project is a private initiative funded from his personal resources, and not a state-funded undertaking.
“That church we are building there, I don’t know where people are getting those billions from… A church that can hold 300 people, can it really cost a billion? Please, let’s stop gossip, let’s stop propaganda, and let’s stop hate,” Ruto said, urging critics to refrain from misleading the public.
The Head of State explained that the planned renovation targets a modest place of worship meant to accommodate about 300 families living within the State House compound.
“I can’t live in a stone house with tiled floors at State House while the house of God there is made of iron sheets. That’s not acceptable,” he said, adding that residents also deserve a dignified space to worship.
Ruto emphasized that the project is philanthropic in nature and not politically driven.
During the same function, which marked the 35th anniversary of the Anglican Church of Kenya Diocese of Embu, the President donated Sh20 million to support the completion of an 11-storey diocesan commercial complex estimated to cost Sh387 million.
The donation is part of his continued support for church infrastructure across the country, he said, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to faith-based development partnerships.
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