Burale explains why he apologized to Gen Z on behalf of the church

24 June 2024

• The ongoing Finance Bill protests has put the church on the spot over it's perceived silence.

Pastor and motivational speaker Robert Burale was among the Kenyans who joined the Gen Z youth in peaceful protests in Nairobi on Sunday, opposing the controversial Finance Bill of 2024.

Last weekend, these youths released a schedule to gather at places of worship nationwide to convey their message to church leaders, urging them to prevent politicians from politicking in churches.

The youth stated that for many years, politicians have been attending services at various places of worship and subsequently causing political commotion on the pulpit, which they strongly warned religious leaders not to tolerate.

They also blamed the church for remaining silent during protests against the controversial bill. Burale has now come forward to apologize to the youth on behalf of the entire Christian religion.

Burale explained his reason for apologising, saying that the church does speak out but is often not heard, and it is not true that they have remained silent as the Gen Z youths accused them.

“Yes, it is true that I apologized to Gen Z on behalf of the church, not because the church doesn't speak, but because we speak and are not heard.

Because you cannot tell Gen Z that it's their fault; that would mean we are not with them. So I apologised on behalf of the church, telling them that if they feel we have let them down, we are sorry,” Burale said.

The pastor defended the church, saying that this situation has opened their eyes, and moving forward, they will be at the forefront in raising their voices against issues that are going wrong.

“And we hope that from now on, we will be more vocal and also pray for them, pray for the government, and after everything is said and done, God must remain exalted and worshiped.”

When asked if he would join the protests on Tuesday this week to support Gen Z, Burale said:

“We, as advisors and pastors, must be close to these young people. I am also a parent to a 19-year-old, a Gen Z. So I can be there as a father to tell them where I see them going astray and guide them back to the right path.

We do not want to hear of another young person losing their life, nor do we want to hear of a police officer dying, or any business being destroyed.”