Fund NO through M-Pesa

Church leaders plan to set up an M-Pesa line through which they hope to raise funds for their campaign against the proposed constitution.

The clergy are expected to use the pulpit this morning to circulate the number to which their supporters can donate to the campaign. Sources privy to the plan say the church leaders are also using cell groups to conduct civic education.

The preachers seem to have been quietly planning to use a combination of networks that have previously campaigned for better use of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) cash.

The clergy plan appeared aimed at eating into the dominant position of the Yes campaign as the civic education drive led by the Committee of Experts has stalled because the Treasury has not disbursed funds allocated for statutory civic education.

Faithful in the churches pushing for the rejection of the proposed constitution are said to already have the M-Pesa number which has not yet been made public.

The National Council of Churches of Kenya general secretary Canon Peter Karanja told the Sunday Nation it would be made public when the organisers were ready.

He said they are focused on civic education, which he said was “progressing extremely well”.

“We operate above board, and we will tell you when all these things are done. The civic education is continuing, and you may have seen how opinion polls have changed in the media,” Canon Karanja said.

The church leaders faced scathing criticism when some of them announced they would use church offerings to finance their campaigns.

Most were forced to back track after it became apparent most of their their supporters did not approve.

Opposed to abortion

Early this month, the Sunday Nation exclusively reported that an American-based religious group opposed to abortion had offered “tens of thousands of dollars” to help defeat the proposed constitution.

The church leaders, through the NCCK and the Catholic Church, have launched a massive civic education programme at the grassroots. They are said to have trained more than 10,000 civic educators – a minimum of 50 per district.

They have also turned to popular social sites like Facebook and Twitter where they are interacting with their faithful.

Already, the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) and NCCK have accounts on Facebook where the debate is centred on the rejection of the proposed law due to the retention of the kadhis’ courts.

The government-led Yes campaign is facing a number of challenges, including political infighting among coalition partners. The Yes team has decided to eschew public funds following a public outcry.

But the No team is also experiencing challenges as some key leaders have parted ways with the church, among them are retired Rev Timothy Njoya of the PCEA and Bishop David Gitari of the ACK.