Sometimes one is at a loss what to make of certain news stories. Last week, several media reports quoted ODM leader Raila Odinga as saying the Catholic Church rejected a luxury car donated by DP William Ruto to the new Archbishop of Kisumu Philip Anyolo during the prelate’s inauguration in January. Raila said the church returned the gift because it was bought with “dirty money” (Star, March 4, p.2).
Apparently, the former PM did not explain what he meant by dirty money. Isn’t all money dirty, literally? You must have seen the strange places people stuff wads of notes on their body.
In an online story titled “Catholic Church rejected William Ruto’s car, Raila says”, the Nation reported the politician saying, “The Pope insisted that the vehicle be returned. We should stand for the truth.”
Raila is many things: ODM party leader, AU High Representative for Infrastructure Development in Africa, former Prime Minister, Luo Nyanza kingpin, retired People’s President, political comedian, handshaker, etcetera.
But he is not a spokesman for the Catholic Church or the Pope. He has never even claimed membership of that church.
How the media would simply reproduce his statements about the church without seeking clarification from relevant authorities is yet another glaring evidence of conveyor-belt journalism.
Turns out Archbishop Anyolo has not, in fact, returned the DP’s gift as widely reported. The vehicle is still in Kisumu.
“I am not aware of how the comments came about. I don’t know about claims that the Holy Pope directed the Church to return the gift,” Cardinal John Njue told the Nation, according to a report published by the paper on Monday.
Why Njue was drawn into the matter in the first place doesn’t make sense. He is the archbishop of Nairobi. He doesn’t speak for the Catholic Church or the Pope. The best person to speak about the purported directive from Rome is the Vatican envoy (a.k.a nuncio) in Nairobi, who is the personal representative of the Pope in Kenya.
But many journalists assume, incorrectly, that because Njue is the most senior Catholic cleric in Kenya – according to church hierarchy – he speaks for the church.
He doesn’t. That role is reserved for the chairman of the Kenya Catholic Bishops Conference, who happens to be Anyolo.
“We have not received such communication that we return the car. However, I wish to state that during my installation in January, I received two cars, but they don’t personally belong to me. They are property of the diocese,” the archbishop said, according to the Nation.
Anyolo added – significantly – that the Catholic Church, or any other, has no means of establishing whether certain gifts are proceeds of crime or not.
Indeed. This is a tricky issue.
On March 4, following Raila’s scurrilous claims, the Star ran an editorial commending the Catholic Church for “rejecting a top-of-the-range vehicle – a Mitshubishi Pajero – from the Deputy President to Archbishop Philip Anyolo.”
The editorial was titled, “Churches should reject gifts from politicians.” The paper’s comment was based on Raila’s lie. Kisumu archdiocese has not returned Ruto’s gift.
Politicians are churchgoers and are free to support churches just like other believers. Why should their gifts be rejected? Does it mean all politicians are corrupt and their gifts to the church are tainted?
Why only churches? Should a family with a huge hospital bill first find out about the source of a politician’s money before accepting his donation? How realistic is that? Should schools, universities, everyone, reject gifts from politicians?
Does “dirty money” only come from politicians? Are there no businessmen and women, professionals, etcetera who have such money? The public record suggests there are many – and everywhere.
Crucially, as Archbishop Anyolo pointed out, how is the church expected to sniff out the proceeds of corruption?
It is disingenuous for the media to suggest that certain politicians are corrupt while the others are clean – without due process. That is not the media’s job.
And something is not true just because Raila – or any other political elite – said so.
