Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Bishop David Kodia speaking on October 7, 2026, in Siaya./ ScreengrabAnglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Bishop David Kodia has cautioned political leaders against splitting parties to form new outfits, warning that Kenya cannot afford further divisions ahead of the elections.
Kodia said he had been closely following developments in the political scene, particularly divisions affecting what he described as the biggest political party south of the Sahara and north of the Limpopo (ODM).
He invoked the memory of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, saying such political developments would perhaps not have occurred had he been alive.
“I have been observing what is happening in the political scene of the country, that is now affecting the so-called biggest party south of the Sahara and North of the Limpopo,” Kodia said.
“Baba, if you were here, all this nonsense I’m hearing about would not be the case. No one would be taking the ears of the party and going with it somewhere and baptising it with another name.”
Kodia criticised attempts to break up political parties and form new outfits, saying the country had experienced the consequences of division in the past.
He warned that continued fragmentation could also undermine investor confidence in the country.
“Kenya cannot afford more divisions. I am talking to you as a Bishop; we have heard the pain of division in this country, and we cannot afford to embrace further divisions. Kenyans are not fools; no one will dare to invest in a fragmented thing that has no future,” Kodia said.
The bishop called on political leaders and Kenyans to approach the coming elections with sobriety and focus on the country’s future.
“My prayer as a leader is that by the time we are going for elections, there will be sanity and we shall be sober enough to see where we are going,” he said.
Kodia was speaking on Wednesday during the handover and dedication of the late Raila Odinga’s mausoleum in Bondo, Siaya County
President William Ruto and other leaders attended the ceremony.
He asked Kenyans to allow former Prime Minister Raila Odinga to rest in peace, as leaders and mourners gathered at Opoda Farm in Siaya County for the commissioning of his mausoleum.
Bishop Kodia noted a change in mood from the tension and grief that followed Raila’s death, saying those gathered had now reached a point of acceptance.
“At least today we can smile. It is like those moments when all of us were tensed. Today we are more relaxed because we have come to terms with the fact that our brother is resting in peace,” Kodia said.
He then asked the gathering to repeat the words “Rest in Peace”, saying the phrase should remain central as they remember Raila.
“Before I go further, I want to say, please let us keep those beautiful words, ‘Rest in Peace’. Can we repeat those words? I want us to do that to allow our brother to rest in peace,” he said.
