In his opening remarks at a World AIDS Day summit at Evangelist Rick Warren's Saddleback Church in California, Republican Senator Sam Brownback said he was feeling a little more "comfortable" than he did the last time he shared a stage with Barack Obama, the junior Democrat Senator from Illinois.  "We were both addressing the NAACP," Brownback explained. "They were very polite to me ... [but] I think they kind of wondered, 'Who's this guy from Kansas?' And then Barack Obama follows, and they're going, 'OK, now we've got Elvis.'"

Figuring their joint appearance at an Orange County evangelical church finally put the shoe on the other foot, Brownback turned to Obama and said, "Welcome to my house." The audience of evangelicals howled with laughter. But when Obama had the chance to speak a few minutes later, he returned to what Brownback had said: "There is one thing I've got to say, Sam: This is my house, too. This is God's house."

Innocuous as the exchange may sound, it is part of a wider battle being fought in American politics, and increasingly around the world by Christian politicians seeking to ally themselves with religious movements, to stake for themselves a part of God's house. Long the almost exclusive territory of the American Republican party, the churches of America and especially its Bible Belt have churned out millions of reliable, passionate voters, an organization that can make a massive difference at any election.  The Democrats are finally alive to this, especially as traditional Democrat constituencies like Blacks and Hispanics migrate to the Republican side. It is for this reason that their leaders are eager to portray themselves as people of faith, hence Senator Obama's incessant even if casual reference to his faith and its significance in his life.

We Kenyans are long accustomed to the religious piety of politicians having endured  infinite Sundays of church services when President Moi was in office. Recent weeks have seen the advancement of a similar campaign with the continued growth of a similar evangelical movement in Kenya. Adding to the righteous homilies and ‘bwana asifiwes' of Kalonzo Musyoka and William Ruto, we now have to deal with the entry into active politics of Ndura Waruinge, Margaret Wanjiru and the Pius Muiru.

Thursday saw the eruption of howls of protest from across the country, in reaction to the clergy entrées onto the political scene. The chorus of protesters was outraged that the barrier between the Church and the State was under threat. They asked that politicians should keep a distance between themselves and government, in order that they are able, on behalf of the mwananchi, to call the leaders to account as neutral parties. The protesters are engaged in a well known Christian sport, one which the Christ was especially careful to admonish his followers about; hypocrisy.

From Pat Robertson to Archbishop Stephen Ondiek, Christian Clergy have run for political office, and sometimes won. One suspects that this bout of righteous fulminations is just a spot of another one of the deadly seven; envy. Kenya's clergy have been very actively involved in partisan politics, as the examples of Kipsang' Muge and Henry Okullu show, even today the protestations of the Catholic Church with regard to abortions and the use of condoms weigh heavily on the State's decisions on these matters. Recently the holy even went as far as attacks on Movies and Museum artefacts.

So we on our part say wasindwe to the remonstrating Padres!! And look forward to the most Maximum Miracles from pious Pius (when he finds a party) and mountains of glory from Wanjiru (after she settles her domestics) and Waruinge (when he gets his get-out-of-jail-free card). All in all, these three should feel very much at home at Parliament Buildings, and no doubt they will find they have a lot in common with those other wealthy photogenic dedicated servants of Wanjiku. Now the football commentaries will get competition from those experienced in creating true euphoria, amen!