The Church Has Come Back To Politics- Ruto

President William Ruto has revealed that the church has returned to the centre of the political landscape in Kenya.

Speaking on Tuesday, February 14 during the National Prayer Service at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi, Ruto lamented how church leaders were being derailed by elements of the 'deep state' who fooled them that prayers were not needed within the country.

He pointed an accusing finger at a number of people who undermined God's might and struck fear at churches, in defence of his divine faith which he numerously stated led him to victory in the August 9 general elections.

President Ruto, First Lady Rachel Ruto and Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi at Nyayo Stadium on February 14, 2023. /WILLIAM RUTO

"I was worried back there…when I saw many church leaders purchasing fear and selling propaganda that the church is not necessary.

"So many people who undermined the word of God, threw sarcasm at the church under the guise of the existence of the ‘deep state’ until churches started fearing. I am happy that the church has come back to the centre of the politics of Kenya," he addressed.

The Head of State also expressed confidence that it is through prayers that the country will progress from one level to the next.

"I want to say without fear of any contradiction, it is not by the power of the ‘deep state’ nor by the might of the system, it is by the power and the spirit of God that this nation is going to move from this level to the next level," he went on.

On his push to rid the country of debt and borrowing, Ruto gave an example of how God's word teaches about people who leave an inheritance for generations that will follow them and promised to eliminate debts for the progress of the country and for generations to come.

He expressed his appreciation for Kenyans for praying into reality the bottom-up economic agenda in a bid to revive the country's economy and turn Kenya into a nation that lends funds to other countries.

"The word of God teaches us that a good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children, he doesn’t leave debt for his children. We'd accumulated too much reckless debt and I want to say with a lot of humility that we will make this country debt-free.

"Thank you for praying for the bottom-up economic plan because I told you, we got this agenda from the Bible. Kenya will be lifted up. Kenya shall be a country of plenty. Kenya shall be a country that we are going to lend and not borrow," he went on.

In a thinly-veiled attack on the opposition, Ruto gave an example of the story of Nehemiah whereby Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, which made them very angry.

"Why do you people like to forget? Why have you forgotten the words of Nehemiah? When you read Nehemiah 4 from the first verse, there were mannerless people like these ones with foul intentions.

"When Nehemiah was trying to build a wall, there were people like Sanballat and Tobias who told him that the wall he was building, when a jackal stands on top of it, it crumbles. Leave alone Sanballat and Tobias to deal with their own issues, Kenya will move forward," he addressed.

Worshippers at Nyayo Stadium during the National Prayer Service on February 14, 2023. /WILLIAM RUTO