Elachi steals the show during the National Prayer Breakfast

It’s not every day you hear a Kenyan MP openly admit, "We’ve messed up.” But that’s exactly what happened at this year’s National Prayer Breakfast at Safari Park Hotel, where Dagoretti North MP Ms Beatrice Elachi delivered a prayer that left many in the room stunned—and perhaps a little convicted.

Instead of the usual polished remarks, Ms Elachi stepped up to the mic and offered a heartfelt, brutally honest prayer, confessing what many Kenyans feel but rarely hear from their leaders.

“Father, we have compromised ourselves... We’ve left our young people in gambling, in pornography. We’ve corrupted ourselves. Forgive us,” she prayed.

Ms Elachi’s prayer was not your typical scripted address. It was raw, emotional, and direct. She spoke of lawmakers failing to create meaningful laws, ignoring the cries of the youth, and chasing wealth while the country suffered.

“We took it as a right, not a privilege. We ruled like there’s no God in heaven,” she confessed.

Her prayer hit home—and quickly made waves on social media, where Kenyans debated its sincerity and significance.

The reaction online was swift. Many praised Ms Elachi for speaking the uncomfortable truth.

“This is the kind of honesty we need from our leaders,” one post read.

“If only they’d pray with action,” said another.

Some, however, remained cautious, urging leaders to follow up their words with real change.

Whether Ms Elachi’s powerful moment was just a spiritual reset or the beginning of a new tone in Parliament, time will tell. But for a few minutes at Safari Park, the nation heard something it doesn’t hear often from its lawmakers—genuine remorse.

And maybe, that’s a start.