Latest news with #statehouse
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kenyan leader to build huge church at presidential office
Kenyan President William Ruto says he is building a church at the presidential residence in Nairobi that he will pay for himself - and says he has nothing to apologise for. "I am not going to ask anyone for an apology for building a church. The devil might be angry and can do what he wants," President Ruto said on Friday. That statement alone has angered Kenyans already frustrated with his style of leadership and what they regard as the entanglement of the state and the church. The BBC has asked the government for comment. It is not clear who Ruto was referring to as "the devil" in his comments at state house, but he says nothing will stop the project from going ahead. On Friday one of Kenya's leading newspapers - the Daily Nation - published architectural designs showing a large building with stained glass windows and capacity for 8,000 people. The paper questioned whether the project was in keeping with Kenya's secular constitution. There has also been criticism of the cost, estimated at $9m (£6.5bn) at a when time many Kenyans are struggling with the rising cost of living. Ruto said he would pay for the church out of his own pocket, however that raises the question of whether he has the right to build such a large structure on state-owned property. In an open letter, one MP said Kenya was not a Christian state andbelonged to people of all religions. The diverse East African nation is also home to many of followers of Islam, Hinduism and traditional African religions - as well as some agnostics and atheists. There is no mosque or temple at the presidency. "I did not start building this church when I entered the State House. I found a church but one made out of iron sheets. Does that look befitting for the State House?" a defiant Ruto told politicians at a meeting he hosted on Friday. El Chapo & Deputy Jesus - why Kenya's president has so many nicknames Why Kenya's evangelical president has fallen out with churches How African popes changed Christianity - and gave us Valentine's Day Ghana to investigate ex-president's controversial $400m cathedral project Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Focus on Africa This Is Africa
RNZ News
08-06-2025
- RNZ News
Concern state house tenants evicted then blacklisted
housing security 16 minutes ago Social workers are worried state house tenants who have been evicted are then blacklisted - and end up on the street. Amy Williams filed this report.
