Kenyan President William Ruto said he was building a church at the Nairobi presidential residence and he would pay for himself – and said he didn’t need to apologize.
“I won’t ask anyone to apologize for building the church. The devil may be angry and can do what he wants,” President Ruto said Friday.
This statement alone has angered his leadership style and his perceived entanglement of the state and the church.
The BBC has asked the government to comment.
It is not clear that Ruto was called the “devil” in the state legislature’s comments, but he said nothing can stop the project from continuing.
On Friday, a major Kenya newspaper, The Daily Nation, published the architectural design, showing a large building with stained glass windows that can accommodate 8,000 people.
The document questions whether the project is consistent with Kenya’s secular constitution.
As many Kenyans rise in cost of living, the estimated cost of $9 million (£6.5 billion) has also been criticized.
Ruto said he would pay for the church from his pocket, but raised the question of whether he had the right to build such a huge structure on state-owned property.
A member of Congress said in an open letter that Kenya is not a Christian country, but a person of all religions.
While about 85% of Kenyans are Christian, there is still about 11% of the Muslim population, as well as other ethnic minority beliefs, including Hinduism and traditional African religions.
There are no mosques or temples in the Presidential Palace.
“When I entered the state capitol, I didn’t start building the church. I found a church, but made of iron paper. Does this look like a fit for the state capitol?” a rebel Ruto told politicians at a meeting on Friday.
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