President William Ruto has confirmed that he is indeed building a church at the State House, according to a newspaper report on Friday, July 4, 2025.
Speaking at State House on Friday, July 4, 2025, Ruto revealed that he will use his own money to build the church, stating that the building, estimated to cost Ksh1.2 billion, according to the newspaper report, will not cost the government a penny.
“I am one person who believes in God, and I have no apologies to make for constructing a church. Do you understand me? I am not going to be sorry to anyone for building a church. We shall build the church of God,” Ruto said.
Let the devil protest
“Let the devil protest the decision and do that which he pleases. I am told that the papers are saying that I am building a church here at the State House. It is indeed true; I am building a church here at the State House.”
Ruto equally observed that the church structure he found at the house on the hill was made from an iron sheet and did not meet the standards at the State House.
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“When I came here, I found an iron-sheet structure for a church. Does that fit the stature of the State House? I am not using the government money to build the church; I am using my own money,” Ruto said.
My own money
“I have decided to build a church that fits the stature of the State House, and it will not cost the government of Kenya a penny. I will use my own money because the church of God is a place worthy of respect.”
Reports of the building of the church have drawn sharp criticism from a section of leaders, with them stating that the head of state is a symbol of national unity and should not lean towards a particular religion.
Other leaders have equally criticised Ruto for having misplaced priorities in the country when schools were struggling with delayed capitation and hospitals lacked basic equipment.
“Are we to be presented with a mosque, Hindu temple, or shrine in the same ratio?” he asked, calling the project “religious favouritism” and “spiritual show business.”
Citing high inflation, youth unemployment, and medicine shortages, Mumias East MP Peter Salasya questioned the morality of allocating Ksh 1.2 billion to a church.
“Parents cannot afford school fees. Youths are without jobs. Hospitals are out of medicine,” he wrote. “This is a tragic betrayal of the hustlers you once championed,” Salasya stated in an open letter to Ruto.
