The government has announced a crackdown on churches in Githurai area of Kiambu County, citing concerns over alleged religious extremism, fake prophets, and unscrupulous priests.
The exercise, set to begin next month, aims to weed out rogue and unregistered churches in the area.
Speaking at a sensitization event, Danson Mwangangi, the area Assistant County Commissioner, noted that the crackdown will proceed despite resistance from some religious leaders.
He also ordered all churches in the sub-county to comply with directives from the registrar of societies within a one-month timeline or face legal consequences.
“We are also willing to partner with them as long as they comply with directives from the registrar, failure to this and under a timeline of one month we will be back to crackdown,” said Mwangangi.
Maria Goretti Nyariki, the registrar of societies, has stated that non-compliant churches will be shut down.
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This move comes months after the Shakahola Massacre, which reportedly claimed over 400 lives, and follows a government initiative to regulate the religious sector and address concerns raised by the incident.
Githurai Pastors Forum Head Gives His Remarks
Reverend Elija Sankisa, head of the Githurai Sub-County Pastors Forum, while defending churches acknowledged that some church leaders may lack adequate knowledge of the law but emphasized that ignorance does not absolve them of responsibility.
“We as the churches of Githurai, we have received the teachings and sensitization and we are ready to make sure we cooperate together to ensure that the churches in our city are a different church,” said Sankisa
The crackdown on churches in Githurai comes amidst a broader government effort to address religious extremism and fake prophets in the country.
ODPP Flags a Preacher’s Clip for Tribal Incitement
In a separate similar incident, a religious leader was flagged by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) for making tribal remarks during a sermon.
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ODPP in a statement dated June 7, 2024, directed the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to investigate a recorded clip of the preacher saying, “While Kikuyus are fighting Luos, Woriahs are taking over Kenya.”
“The attention of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has been drawn to two videos on social media that could incite ethnic contempt, hatred, hostility, violence or discrimination among Kenyans,” read part of the statement.
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