Members of the clergy from Nyeri have urged the youth to call off their plans to occupy Jesus Winner Ministry headquarters in Roysambu, Nairobi, over a Sh20 million donation.
The religious leaders defended Bishop Edward Mwai for accepting the donation from President William Ruto on March 2.
“We have no means of determining whether money donated to church is clean or dirty,” Reverend Veronica Waruguru of Jesus Winner Ministry, Nyeri, explained.
She added that the church also has no means of verifying the
source of cash donations.
Reverend Benson Mwangi urged other church leaders to accept donations given to them.
“Bishop Mwai was right in accepting the money because he is doing what he is supposed to do; that is taking care of orphans, widows and unprivileged members of the society,” Mwangi added.
Reverend Martin Mwangi criticised people who have been attacking Mwai for accepting the donation.
“My appeal to Gen Zs is: do not go there to demonstrate. Just go there to pray and worship,” he urged.
On March 6, President Ruto hosted Mwai at State House, just days after making the donation.
The President had on Sunday also pledged to mobilise his friends to raise another Sh100 million for the construction of the church, estimated at Sh1 billion.
In a post on X, President Ruto stated that he met with the bishop to discuss the progress of the ongoing construction of the church in Nairobi’s Roysambu area.
"Met the Reverend Edward Mwai of Jesus Winner Ministry Church at State House, Nairobi. He also shared with me the progress of the church’s construction in Roysambu," Ruto wrote.
The meeting at State House was also attended by senior clerics of Jesus Winner Ministry, just hours after the church’s management board addressed the media regarding the donation.
Ruto expressed his gratitude to Mwai for allowing the church to host thousands of job-seeking youths who participated in the government’s Kazi Majuu recruitment drive on Tuesday.
"We appreciate Jesus Winner Ministry Church for complementing our Labour Mobility Programme by hosting a recruitment drive aimed at securing jobs for our youth abroad," he said.
