BONYO'S BONE: Oh No! They are back!

The Bible speaks repeatedly about the importance of keeping one's word. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, the message is consistent: a person's word must mean something.

Unfortunately, for some custodians of the gospel in this country, keeping their word appears to be an increasingly difficult undertaking.

They simply cannot seem to do without politicians on their pulpits, despite the numerous declarations and warnings they have issued against turning places of worship into political campaign platforms.

Even more disturbing are those churches that go a step further by inviting the media to cover services attended by politicians. One is left wondering whether these are worship services or carefully choreographed political appearances.

Over the past several months, we have watched politicians, both seasoned players and political newcomers, take turns at church pulpits to court congregations and fish for votes. The pulpit, it seems, has become an irresistible political attraction. And some church leaders are more than willing to provide the stage.

Yet, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops says people from all walks of life come to church seeking spiritual nourishment, inner peace and guidance. They should not have to contend with political theatrics in the very places where they seek refuge.

Church leaders have a pastoral responsibility to protect the sanctity of places of worship from political campaigns.

Politicians, as the bishops have rightly observed, have countless other platforms on which to sell their manifestos, seek votes and advance their political ambitions. The church should not, and must not, be one of them.

But here is what I find particularly troubling. These bans have increasingly become an annual ritual. Every election cycle, church leaders issue stern warnings against politicians using the pulpit for political mobilisation.

The declarations make headlines, generate public approval and are quickly forgotten when the next politician walks through the church doors.

What, then, is the value of these pronouncements?

In any properly structured and disciplined institution, a policy once adopted should be enforced consistently. A ban should not have to be reinvented every year because those entrusted with enforcing it have failed to uphold it in the first place.

When churches repeatedly make commitments they cannot honour, questions inevitably arise about the credibility of their leadership and the values they profess to uphold.

Is the church genuinely committed to keeping politics out of the pulpit, or are these bans merely public relations statements designed to appease an increasingly frustrated public?

Perhaps it is time church leaders went beyond issuing statements and introduced clear consequences for congregations and clergy who knowingly facilitate political campaigns during worship services. Without enforcement, these bans are nothing more than empty declarations.

This is not about denying politicians their right to worship. They are entitled to attend church like every other Kenyan. But the right to worship does not confer an entitlement to turn the pulpit into a campaign podium.

The church must draw that distinction and defend it without fear or favour.

I must remind our church leaders of Habakkuk 2:20, which declares that the Lord is in His holy temple and calls for silence before Him. Ecclesiastes 5:1 and 5:4 also warn against careless conduct in the house of God and making promises that one does not fulfil.

The message should not be lost on those who occupy the pulpits.

You cannot preach integrity on Sunday, announce a ban on political campaigns on Monday, and offer politicians the same pulpit on the following Sunday.

The church cannot demand accountability from politicians while demonstrating so little accountability in enforcing its own rules.

Enough of the annual declarations. Enough of the convenient exceptions. If the church says the pulpit is not for politics, then let it have the courage and discipline to keep it that way.

The pulpit is sacred. It must not become a campaign podium.

That is my bone tonight.