DP Gachagua defends the Church, says Shakahola issue is a 'small thing'

Gachagua who defended the church as a crucial pillar in the society insisted that the happenings at Shakahola forest in Kilifi County are a small issue that should not be taken as an activity that happens in all religious institutions.

"The things witnessed in Kilifi are not about the Church but about individuals. The Church of Christ has many enemies because the devil is always at work day and night. They would want to use that small issue to give the Church of Christ a bad name," said the DP.

"We are saying, let it be about individuals. Those two or three people among 10,000 people hiding in the Church to do the wrong things should be isolated from the Church so that the Church can prosper. "

The DP noted that the constitution under Article 32 guarantees religious freedom including the freedom to practice any religion or belief and as such, the government is not on a mission to interfere with the liberty.

Speaking at Full Gospel Church at Matangi area in Juja during a requiem mass for the late John Ndung’u, father to Juja MP George Koimburi, the DP however, upheld that rogue clerics must and will be weeded out from the public to protect gullible Kenyans from exploitation and being brainwashed.

"The church is a reflection of society and in society, there are two or more people who do the wrong things and those people must be isolated and action taken against them in their individual capacity," said Gachagua.

He went on: "And let the followers of satan not use that unfortunate event in Kilifi to castigate the Church of Christ. Our pastors are good people 99.9 per cent. Allow the government to weed out the 0.1 per cent giving the church of Christ a bad name."

The second-in-command made the statement at a time that Kenyans and leaders sustain calls for regulation of churches after it emerged that some have been engaging in all manner of unacceptable practices.

He made the statements days after Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki called for tougher measures to regulate religious activities in the country including self-regulation of the organizations.

This happened even as the process of forming a law to regulate religious activities in the country began after the Senate last month formed an Ad-hoc committee to propose laws aimed at bringing sanity to religious institutions.

The Senate took issue with how leaders of religious institutions have been taking advantage of gullible Kenyans and especially children, the latest incident in Shakahola leading to the deaths of more than 150 citizens.

In a motion moved by Majority Whip and Kakemega Senator Bonny Khalwale, the Senate mandated the 11-member committee to investigate circumstances leading to the death of followers of the Good News International Church.