Controversial Salvation Healing Ministry leader Pastor Victor Kanyari has publicly rebuffed former President Uhuru Kenyatta in a fiery TikTok live session, declaring that he has the financial muscle to educate his children in any school in Kenya or abroad and does not need any assistance from the Kenyatta family.
The preacher’s blunt message came after Uhuru reportedly reached out to offer school fees support for Kanyari’s children amid the ongoing fallout with his late ex-wife Betty Bayo’s family.
In a 15-minute rant viewed by over 400,000 people within hours, Pastor Kanyari directly addressed the former head of state. “Wewe Uhuru, mimi niko na uwezo wa kusomesha watoto wangu kwa shule yoyote hapa Kenya ama hata nje ya nchi. Mimi naskia furaha when I am spending on my kids,” he said while waving a wad of cash for emphasis. The cleric then pivoted to a pointed appeal: “Kuna wasanii wamekufa Mt Kenya na familia zao hazina uwezo kwa kujikimu, naomba usaidie hao uachane na hawa wangu. Mimi sihitaji msaada plz.”
The Pastor Kanyari-Uhuru Kenyatta exchange has ignited fresh debate about celebrity philanthropy and personal pride in Kenya’s entertainment circles. Sources close to the former president confirmed that Uhuru, moved by recent media coverage of Kanyari’s custody battle and Betty Bayo’s tragic passing, had quietly contacted mutual friends to explore ways of supporting the children’s education at elite academies.
Uhuru has a long history of privately funding bright but needy students, especially from Central Kenya, through the Kenyatta family foundations.
Supporters praised the pastor for protecting his dignity, while critics accused him of grandstanding. “He turned down help for his kids just to flex on camera. Pride will finish him,” commented popular blogger Xtian Dela. Others defended the move, noting that Kanyari has consistently boasted of earning millions weekly through tithes and seed offerings at his Haile Selassie Avenue church.
Church insiders say the pastor currently pays over KSh 800,000 per term for his two children with Betty Bayo at a high-end international school in Karen and has already secured admission offers from institutions in the United Kingdom for secondary level.
“He wanted to make it clear that his children will never be charity cases,” explained a senior elder who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The public spat adds another layer to Kanyari’s complicated relationship with the Kenyatta family. During the historic seed-planting scandal exposé in 2022, opposition groups accused Uhuru’s government of protecting the preacher because of supposed political payments. Kanyari is no longer involved in active politics, although he still has tight relations with numerous leaders in Kenya Kwanza.
Pastor Kanyari’s Uhuru Kenyatta moment is the latest proof of his unedited approach that puts him in the news all the time. People all throughout the country are still arguing about whether the rejection makes him more credible on the street or makes him seem ungrateful. For now, Kanyari says that his children’s future is safe and secure, paid for in cash and faith, and they don’t need any presidential scholarships.
