Today, Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has shamelessly referred to President William Ruto as a leader ordained by God to lead Kenyans. Passaris made the remarks in the company of the President during a church service in Nairobi’s Church of Christ in Africa (CCA) in Makadara Constituency.
The idea that leaders are chosen by God is not just bad theology — it’s a dangerous lie.
Our leaders rise and fall by the will of the people. Not by divine will. Yet, time and again, we hear the same dangerous lie from our politicians: that President Ruto governs not by election but by divine right.
This rhetoric—that leaders are chosen by God—reflects the mindset of individuals who desire control rather than true leadership. It’s the language of those who don’t want to answer to voters, who don’t want to be held accountable for their failures. It is a direct assault on the very foundations of our democracy.
If we start accepting that our leaders are divinely chosen, as Passari wants us to believe, then elections become meaningless. If rulers are appointed by God, then dissent becomes heresy. And once we let that idea take hold, we risk abandoning the principles enshrined in our Constitution that have kept us free.
The Atheists In Kenya Society would like to remind Nairobi Women Representative, Esther Passaris, that Kenya is a nation where leaders are determined by the will of the people, not by the decree of any church or holy text.
We are not a kingdom, not a church-state, not a nation governed by religious decree. We are not Iran, where clerics declare who may rule. We are not Saudi Arabia, where kings claim divine legitimacy.
We urge Kenyans to reject those who seek to weaponize faith against our democracy.
Dear Esther Passaris, Ruto Was Not Chosen By God
