Public outrage is mounting after political analyst Willis Otieno launched a scathing attack on President William Ruto’s plan to build a KSh 1.2 billion church at State House, accusing the Head of State of turning a blind eye to the country’s dire social and economic realities.
“Look at the kind of schools our children attend, collapsing walls, mud floors, pit latrines, and no desks. Pupils learning under trees. Textbooks shared four-to-one.
And in the same country, a sitting President chooses to build a church worth 1.2B at State House. A spiritual facade to launder political sins,” Otieno wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Otieno further challenged Kenyans to utilize the Constitution as a tool for accountability, specifically invoking Article 104, which grants the public the right to recall underperforming elected leaders.
“It is time we activated Article 104 of the Constitution and treated the right to recall not as an abstract clause but as a living, breathing tool of accountability.
Let us make an example; not out of spite, but as a public statement: elective office is not a retirement package for the unqualified,” he stated.
Otieno’s comments come in response to President William Ruto’s firm defence of the church construction project on July 4, 2025, while addressing a crowd in Nyahururu, where he insisted that the project is a personal spiritual commitment and that it is being fully financed from his own resources.
“I have chosen to honour God in my own way. The church we are building at State House is my personal commitment to my faith, and I will not be ashamed of it,” Ruto declared.
Yet, many Kenyans view the move as a contradiction to the pressing needs across the country. From poorly funded schools and overburdened hospitals to widespread youth unemployment, critics argue that national priorities have been misplaced.
As the backlash continues to gain momentum, Otieno’s remarks have become a rallying cry for citizens demanding better leadership and tangible development.
Whether the pressure will lead to policy changes or political consequences remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the people are watching, and the conversation on accountability has been reignited.
