Amid Kenya’s worst wave of anti-government protests in years and mounting economic hardship, President William Ruto is pressing ahead with plans to build a lavish mega church at his official residence. This project has ignited debate over the intersection of faith, power, and public accountability.

The construction of the Church in central Nairobi is estimated to cost KES 1,2 billion ($9,3 million) and fit upwards of 8.000 people, according to local media reports.

The grandiose project was met with criticism from many Kenyans, who have struggled under the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

Economic hardships in Kenya have taken a toll on the popularity of the sitting President. Tensions escalated on Monday, when 31 people were killed and more than 500 were arrested in widespread anti-government protests.

The placement of a worship site on government grounds has prompted a legal challenge. Kenya’s high court is set to hear a petition by lawyer, Levy Munyeri, who argued that the mega church violates provisions in Kenya’s constitution, which denounces any state religion.

The President has so far been unfazed by the criticisms, “I am not going to ask anyone for an apology for building a church. The devil might be angry and can do what he wants,” Ruto said on July 4th, noting that he would pay for the Church with his own money.

“Ruto knows when push comes to shove in politics and other arms of government, he will get his way. He knows parliament cannot stop him”, said Dr. Denis Galava, Kenyan political researcher and journalist.

In an interview with Africanews, Galava points to recent developments in Kenya’s parliament, which make Ruto’s grasp on power solid despite political unrest.

Earlier this year, key allies of opposition leader Raila Odinga, were appointed to senior positions in Ruto’s cabinet, weakening the counterbalance to the sitting President.

“You can’t talk about a political movement that can stop him from doing anything, because parliament is now a lapdog”, Galava said.

Ruto is Kenya’s first evangelical Christian president. The 58-year-old politician put religion at the centre-stage of his 2022 election campaign, earning him the nickname ‘deputy Jesus’.

He has previously built a chapel in the compound at his former residence in the Karen suburb of Nairobi.

Kenyans on Friday attended the funeral of a civilian who died after being shot in the head at close range by a police officer in June.

Boniface Kariuki’s death, which was caught on camera by journalists, has become a symbol for protesters around the country who are demanding better governance, accountability, and an end to police brutality.

President William Ruto has said he will put an end to the protests and urged police to shoot protestors in the legs, drawing criticism.

In Kariuki’s hometown in Muranga, Central Kenya, many mourners attended the funeral of the former street vendor who was fatally shot by police officers during protests in Nairobi on the 17th of June, 2025.

Many expressed dismay at the incident, citing the need for the government to compensate the family of the deceased.

“The police are supposed to protect us then they turn their guns against us. What does that mean? It is bad. We should not see such things repeated again and the government should take responsibility. They should compensate the family,” said Ben Gitoho, a mourner.

Kenya has a recurring issue of police brutality, and human rights groups, along with the international community, have called for restraint among police officers.

Nigeria won’t accept 300 Venezuelan deportees from the U.S, Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar said in a TV interview on Thursday, following reports that the White House was pushing African leaders to take in illegal immigrants from third-party countries. 

In a surprise move, Tuggar started quoting U.S rapper Flavour Flav as a guest on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ in response to news of Washington’s latest deportation policy,

“You’ll remember af line from Flavour Flav: Flavour Flav has problems of his own, I can’t do nuttin’ for ya man”, Tuggar said, referencing the rapper’s famous 1990 track. 

The quote follows reports by The Wall Street Journal that five African leaders participating in a summit at the White House from July 9-11 had received letters pushing them to accept migrants deported by the U.S. whose home countries refuse to take them back.

The U.S had also asked Nigeria to take in deportees, Tuggar said, but he argued it would be ‘unfair’ given current issues in the country,

”We have enough problems of our own. We cannot accept Venezuelan deportees to Nigeria for crying out loud”. 

Instead, the Foreign Minister said that Nigeria was open to doing business with the U.S emphasising critical minerals and gas trade as potential avenues for future cooperation,

”Nigeria is in a very good position to continue a symbiotic relationship with the U.S”, he said.

While Nigeria appears to reject U.S deportees for now, other countries are facing mounting pressure to comply with Trump’s new immigration policy. 

On Monday, South Sudan accepted eight men, including nationals from Myanmar, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, and Mexico all convicted of serious crimes like murder and sexual assault.

Previous removals have gone to El Salvador and Costa Rica, and talks are reportedly ongoing with countries like Rwanda, Benin, and Moldova.