The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) has warned that rising political tension and the monetisation of politics could undermine peaceful and credible elections in the 2027 General Election.
Speaking during a press briefing in Nairobi on Thursday, the church leaders said anxiety was growing 11 months before the polls, citing fears of violence based on Kenya’s experience in previous elections.
“The monetization of politics in Kenya is at a crisis level, and money shapes candidate identification, political competition, election results, and governance decisions,” the leaders said.
NCCK warned that political actors were increasingly using money to influence voters and gain political advantage, urging Kenyans to reject election bribery.
“It is time for Kenyan citizens to wake up and say no to election bribery, so as to end illicit political financing,” the statement said.
The leaders said political violence and goonism were among the key risks facing the 2027 elections, alongside human rights violations, youth exploitation, institutional capture, misinformation and ethnic polarisation.
They accused political actors of deliberately creating misinformation and disinformation structures to discredit opponents and deepen divisions.
“The political actors are working hard to polarize the society by building narratives of us versus them, in which they paint some people as the problem, and therefore their suppression is the solution,” they said.
The religious leaders also raised concerns over what they described as state-sponsored goonism, arguing that selective policing had blurred the lines between political gangs and security agencies.
They cited recent violence in Homa Bay as an example and called for the arrest and prosecution of people who finance political violence.
“Religious leaders committed to publicly campaign for speedy and equal arrest and prosecution of every person who pays Kenyans to engage in violence,” the statement said.
The leaders further urged Kenyans to participate actively in the electoral process and hold political leaders and public institutions accountable.
They said religious institutions would conduct civic and voter education and work with other stakeholders to establish fact-checking structures to counter misinformation.
The statement comes amid heightened political activity ahead of the 2027 polls, with concerns growing over the use of organised groups to disrupt political meetings and intimidate opponents.
In August, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority warned that political goonism was evolving into an “organized and coordinated threat” to constitutional democracy and public safety, calling for investigations targeting organisers, financiers and sponsors of political violence.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Renson Ingonga also warned that vulnerable young people are being recruited into political violence for as little as Sh200, urging authorities to pursue those organising and financing goonism.