In what may be seen as an odd directive and a first in Kenya’s devolved units, Nandi Governor Stephen Sang has ordered newly appointed chief officers to regularly remit 10 per cent of their monthly salaries to their respective churches.
While speaking on Monday during the swearing-in of the senior officials, Mr Sang explained that he was issuing the directive after establishing that local churches require support from leaders and the county government.
“Chief officers serving in my final term must act differently and work smart by paying back to society,” he saidThe new and rare directive from the Nandi governor took his new appointees by surprise. How Mr Sang plans to enforce the order, however, was not immediately clear.
The tithing principle
A tithe is a portion of one’s income, usually 10 per cent, that is given as an offering to one’s church. Tithing is considered a form of Christian worship to show gratitude for what God has given.
However, Biblically, it’s prescribed as a form of giving that is done out of a person’s free will and not through coercion.
The new chief officers were sworn in at the county offices in Kapsabet at an event presided over by Anglican Church of Kenya Bishop Dr Paul Korir and attended by other church leaders.
Governor Sang said he will be following up with clerics to give him records and names of those who don’t tithe since it was them (clerics) who proposed the names to him, hence they must give back to the church if he is to retain them.
“All chief officers must start paying 10 percent of their monthly salaries to the church and be supportive to their families,” he said, noting that former senior officers who served in his first term had “declined” to support the church.
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