No Democracy Survives the Desecration of Its Sanctuaries
What happened at All Saints Cathedral on Friday is an assault on civilization. For centuries, the church has stood as a sanctuary and a place of refuge, prayer and conscience. From the Kiambaa church fire of 2008 where 35 souls perished trapped inside a house of God, we know what it means when goons are let loose on sacred spaces. Kenya must never walk that road again.
The facts are chilling. On June 12th, coordinated gangs, arriving on motorcycles in two calculated waves, stormed All Saints Cathedral, terrorised civil society actors attending a legitimate post-budget accountability forum, robbed participants, destroyed property and sent Kenyans fleeing for their lives inside a place of worship. CCTV footage exists. Faces are known. Motorcycle plates have been recorded. A suspect in custody has allegedly named a government official as the sponsor. The Inspector General of Police must now ensure thorough investigations are done, and that every perpetrator and financier of this outrageous act is arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
To those that engineered this act of repression, silencing citizens who are exercising their constitutional right to public participation is not leadership. The church is not a political battleground. It is sacred ground which the State has an absolute duty to protect. Church grounds must never be reduced to a venue for intimidating and attacking those who seek its refuge.
“The Standard” reports a corruption network selling Kenyan IDs and passports to foreign nationals — from Somalia, Ethiopia, Burundi and Uganda — for as little as Sh15,000.
Rogue officials at the @ImmigrationDept and the National Registration Bureau are said to facilitate issuance without proper vetting, scrutiny or verification, driven by bribery and corruption
The investigators say falsified birth dates and birthplaces are deliberate, to defeat detection systems.
Parents for hire — Kenyans allegedly rent out their IDs so foreigners can claim them as parents.
Brokers exploit the requirement to provide a parent’s Kenyan ID as proof of citizenship
This follows the February US exposé on Algoney Hamdan Dagalo Musa, an RSF commander linked to atrocities in Sudan, who reportedly obtained a Kenyan passport (AK1586127) through the back door.
Echoes the role fraudulent documents played in past terror cases (1998 US Embassy bombing, Dusit).
Kenya risks being “profiled globally as a corrupt nation” and could become a route to bypass tightened US visa restrictions on Somali nationals (effective January 2026).
Ruto’s February 2025 abolition of border-county vetting (defended as ending discrimination) is cited as the opening.
Insiders say security-agency warnings against dismantling the multi-agency vetting framework were ignored.
Experts demand a full audit of all documents issued since vetting was lifted.
The national ID is the primary voter-registration document, so unlawful IDs translate directly into illegitimate voter cards.
Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya and opposition leader Kalonzo Musyoka have flagged demographic manipulation; the IEBC denies the claims.
CS Interior Kipchumba Murkomen, DG Immigration Evelyn Cheluget, PS Belio Kipsang and former PS Julius Bitok (under whom insiders say the passport scandals were seeded) have stayed silent or defiant — refusing to speak to @StandardKenya for their side of the story
@Asamoh_ Haha 😅 even people who already have a candidates are suggesting who to compete with? Pthoo please stick popularizing your candidate achana na opposition
Goons stormed All Saints Cathedral disrupting a Post-Budget Dialogue with CSOs, stole a phone and valuables. Arrested suspect named CS Mbadi, MP Jalang’o and MCA Alai as the ones who sent them — 30 goons dropped at Uhuru Park in Prados. This is state-sponsored thuggery against citizens scrutinizing the budget. Mbadi, Jalang’o, Alai — explain yourselves. #PostBudgetForum
If you remember how much Obroadbased bloggers celebrated when Wafula Chebukati, their own in law died, you can’t believe they’re the same people lecturing us about ‘respect for the dead’ today.
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