President William Ruto of Kenya has announced plans to construct a new church at the Statehouse in Nairobi, sparking widespread debate on social media and beyond.

The 58-year-old leader, known for his evangelical Christian background, stated that the project—estimated at KSh 1.2 billion (approximately $9.3 million).

It will also be designed to accommodate 8,000 congregants and will be funded entirely with his personal resources, countering earlier reports suggesting the use of taxpayer money.

The announcement comes as Ruto seeks to replace the current Statehouse church, which he described as an inadequate iron-sheet structure unfit for the presidential residence’s stature.

This is not the first of its kind in Africa. Recently, a Ugandan politician built a church to ‘thank God‘ for a successful surgery he received abroad. The move received similarar critics.

Former president of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo too spent over $50 million on a national cathedral which dis not see light of day.