Itumbi chastises Archbishop Ole Sapit over State House church construction debacle

Ranging debate over the ongoing construction of Sh1.2billion church at State House has escalated after the Head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy Dennis Itumbi chastised Anglican Church of Kenya Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit urging him to serve as “State House Bishop”.

Itumbi challenged Ole Sapit to embrace the historical role of spiritual adviser to the presidency, saying the position of ‘State House Bishop’ is already his by design and tradition.

Itumbi fired the salvo after the Archbishop sharply criticised President William Ruto’s plan to build a Ksh1.2 billion church at State House, calling it a violation of Kenya’s constitutional secularism.

Ole Sapit argued that the project blurs the line between religion and state, questioning its necessity given the presence of nearby churches.

He also raised concerns about its governance, including whether Ruto would assume a spiritual leadership role. He warned that the church risks signalling Christianity as a state religion, which would conflict with Article 8 of the Constitution, and urged a reevaluation of the project to uphold Kenya’s commitment to religious neutrality.

In a detailed post shared on his X account, Itumbi said it was unnecessary for Archbishop Sapit to publicly question who should provide spiritual leadership at State House.

President Ruto has since said he has no apologies to make and that he will construct the church at State House using his own resources.

The cathedral-like building, which was designed by SKair Architects Limited, features twin crosses on its rooftop and tall, narrow clerestory-style windows flanking the central edifice.

“Ole Sapit, you don’t need to ask who should be State House Bishop. By tradition, geography, and divine proximity—you already are,” Itumbi wrote on his X account handle.

According to Itumbi, colonialists had built a property next to State House to host the Archbishop of the Anglican Church, who was intended to be the advisor of the colonial Governor.

The facility currently houses Sapit, who heads the Anglican Church of Kenya.

“That’s why Archbishopbourne sits within whispering distance of the seat of power. In fact, the property was built with this spiritual mandate in mind,” Ruto’s ally stated.

“Within its architecture stands a fully furnished 100-seater chapel, designed to host prayers and provide counsel to the Head of State. The physical infrastructure to support that role has always been there. It is part of the house, that Sapit uses as his Nairobi home.”

Itumbi’s remarks were a response to remarks by Sapit, who had questioned Ruto over who would lead the church being constructed by the Head of State.

Sapit had expressed that the construction of the church would signify that Kenya is a Christian state, contrary to what is in the laws of the land.

“Putting a church in State House is a declaration that Christianity is the state religion, against the Constitution, which defines Kenya as a secular state that embraces all religions,” Ole Sapit was quoted by Daily Nation.

“Will the President be the bishop or leader of this church, as we have seen him recently lead public prayers?”

Yesterday, President Ruto confirmed that he is building the church at State House.

He explained that he was constructing a permanent building, given that the church he found there was made of iron sheets.

However, amid the public uproar from Kenyans, he insisted that he was using his own money to build the church.