History is bound to repeat self as the church slowly drifts to the ‘No’ side of the Building Bridges Initiative.
A number of Church leaders have come out to openly express their reservations against the BBI proposals and even threatened to rally the flock into rejecting the initiative being spearheaded by President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga.
If the church makes good their threats, then they will soon find themselves in the same spot they were in during the 2010 referendum, which birthed the current constitution.
Their position is likely to weigh on their followers, who form a significant majority of the voters.
Religious organisations play a critical role among their flock, not only in spiritual nourishment but also in greatly influencing the choices their faithful make.
On Wednesday, a section of bishops under the Kenya Council of Church Alliances and Ministries threatened to rally their followers to reject the BBI report over reluctance by the two principals to accept amendments.
The clerics, led by KCCAM chairman and Redeemed Gospel Church presiding Bishop Kepha Omae, complained their views were ignored by the BBI steering committee.
“To our political leaders wherever you are, when you say that the door is closed, what are you telling Kenyans?” Omae asked.
The Catholic Church on Thursday followed in what now appears to be a common script for the church, and which is a potential threat to the plebiscite.
However, the Anglican Church of Kenya is yet to take a stand on the Building Bridges Initiative referendum.
The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops raised concerns with key proposals of the report and the timing of a referendum at a time the country is battling a life-threatening pandemic, with devastating economic and social impacts.
The Catholic Church is the country’s single largest denomination by followers at 33 per cent.
Conference chairman Bishop Philip Anyolo questioned how the plebiscite will be funded.
“Hit by Covid-19 pandemic, with the economy affected, does the country have the funds to carry out a referendum before 2022, 18 months before a General Election that also requires money?” he said.
The bishops also called for a relook into recommendations on the expanded Executive and the creation of an imperial President, which they warned might bring more trouble in future.
But speaking on Friday, ODM leader Raila Odinga told the clergy the time is up for further amendments and instead announced that signature collection will start next week.
The former Prime Minister said the referendum process will go on, adding that the clergy are entitled to their views.
“People have had an opportunity to talk about those issues, two years now. The clergy themselves had an opportunity to express their views. This is a democratic society, they’re entitled to their views, but we go by the views of the majority of our people,” Raila said.
In 2010, the churches ganged up with Deputy President William Ruto’s ‘No’ campaign brigade and mounted a formidable challenge against the ‘Yes’ team spearheaded by the whole government under President Mwai Kibaki.
At the time, Christian leaders urged a negative vote after failing to remove a provision allowing for legal abortion in some rare cases.
However, the final vote on August 4, 2010, delivered an overwhelming victory for the ‘Yes’ team at 68.6 per cent, ushering in the new Constitution.