Atheists blast DP Ruto, accuse him of religious arrogance

Atheists have lashed out over a recent statement by Deputy President William Ruto that they claim discriminates a section of Kenyans.

In a hard-hitting statement, Atheists in Kenya (AIK) criticized Dr. Ruto saying his sentiments have no place in Kenya’s democracy.

“We are concerned that thee Deputy President is advancing religious nationalism. Given that he holds a key Constitutional office, such remarks demean the status of his office and pose threat to our Constitutionalism,” AIK said on Tuesday.

The Atheists were referring to the statement from the DP during his visit to the Anglican Church of Kenya in Khwisero on Sunday.

He said: “I want to say for the avoidance of doubt that Kenya is a country of prayer and not reggae and magicians. We will stop this reggae.”

The DP was responding to ODM leader Raila Odinga’s slogan ‘Nobody can stop reggae’ that has become popular during rallies for the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).

However, AIK Chairperson Harrison Mumia and Vice Chairperson Francis Maende have called out the DP for what they term as ‘religious arrogance’.

According to them, the fact that census data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) revealed that 700,000 Kenyans are Atheists means that Kenya is a diverse nation.

They further aver that the Constitution allows for both freedom of religion and freedom from religion.

“Article 8 establishes Kenya as a secular State. William Ruto is perverting the spirit of our Constitution by insisting that his religious views (or the religious views of the majority) should be normative for all citizens,” their statement reads.

Article of the Constitution of Kenya states: “There shall be no State religion.”