Meru clergy warn politicians against propaganda and division ahead of 2027
Bishops and pastors from across the county call for unity, urging leaders to campaign on ideas rather than incitement.
By Brian Gitonga
Meru County clergy leaders yesterday called for peace and unity as the country heads towards the 2027 general election, warning politicians against spreading propaganda, stoking divisions or using violence to advance their political interests.
Speaking at a press conference in Gatimene, bishops and pastors drawn from across the county said the region needs visionary leaders who will drive development and promote cohesion rather than fuel political tensions. The gathering was led by Bishop Imulu, chairperson of the Meru County clergy.
Imulu said the church was closely monitoring political developments in the region and would not support individuals seeking to divide residents along political or regional lines. He said religious leaders had a responsibility to identify politicians whose conduct threatened peace and to reject them through the power of the ballot.
“We as the church in Meru do not want propaganda in Meru. We do not want someone who will bring us divisions, and we as the church are on alert against such individuals,” Imulu said.
He also condemned incidents at political rallies where supporters have allegedly insulted opponents and hurled stones, warning that such behaviour risked creating unnecessary tension as the country prepared for the next election.
Imulu weighed in on emerging political debates within the Mt Kenya region, particularly calls by some politicians to draw distinctions between the eastern and western sides of the mountain. He said Mt Kenya had remained united since independence and warned that attempts to engineer political divisions could undermine the peace the region had long enjoyed.
He urged residents and religious leaders from both sides of the mountain to reject divisive rhetoric and work together, pointing specifically to the appointment of Prof Kithure Kindiki as Deputy President as a moment that called for regional solidarity rather than antagonism.
“Why should our brothers who are on the other side of the mountain start terming him as soprano? That is why we reject that voice and say that we should respect each other and join together in supporting Prof Kithure Kindiki,” Imulu said.
The bishop argued that political differences should not be allowed to determine who belongs to Mt Kenya, maintaining that the region remained one community regardless of political affiliations or the leaders individuals chose to support. He called on the church to take the lead in bringing communities together and encouraged religious leaders from different parts of the mountain to unite, pray together and model the peaceful political engagement they wished to see from politicians.
“Everyone is asking for that seat, and if we as the church are not together, things will go badly,” Imulu said.
He also called on residents to respect President William Ruto, arguing that his administration had recognised the region through the appointment of Kindiki to the country’s second-highest office.
Bishop Shadrack Matheta, director of the Meru County clergy, said religious leaders had agreed to work in concert to ensure that political competition ahead of 2027 did not descend into violence or hostility.
“We want 2027 politics to be conducted well, such that people do not fight or insult each other. All of us should be united because of peace,” Matheta said.
The clergy urged politicians and supporters alike to embrace peaceful campaigns and avoid inflammatory statements that could deepen divisions, insisting that political competition should be anchored in development and ideas rather than personal attacks and incitement.
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