The Catholic church has banned the huge sums of money donated by politicians in church fundraisers in a move aimed at fighting graft.

According to the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops,  who spoke on Saturday during a national prayer day at the Subukia Shrine in Nakuru County, “the church has stopped accepting direct donations from the politicians. Contributions to fundraise for Catholic Church projects will be done via mobile money transfer or by cheques,”.

“We wish to move towards cashless donations and for the purpose of accountability, we shall declare in public the list and accounts of our projects and fundraising initiatives in our churches and institutions which will be open to public scrutiny,” said the bishops.

The new directive also bars politicians from addressing the congregation inside the church.

EACC Lauds Catholic Church’s Effort To Fight Graft

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission lauded the catholic church for the move saying the directive will enhance transparency and accountability.

“The Commission will continue to partner with willing stakeholders and all like-minded Kenyans in the fight against corruption,” said Commission’s Chief Executive Officer Twalib Mbarak in a statement.

Twalib Mbarak further urged other religious organizations to adopt a similar stance, saying it will reverse the trend of corrupt individuals using religious places to channel their ill-gotten wealth to advance their political interests.