Section of Kiambu preachers decry intimidation by State operatives

Speaking at a press conference, the members of the clergy revealed that they are now under surveillance by unnamed government officials seeking to be briefed on Sunday sermons as well as a detailed exposure of invited guests.

One preacher said, "We saw unidentified individuals who came and sat at the back of the church. We asked them to identify themselves but they declined. Later, they followed churchgoers to inquire about some guests we had invited and why the invite was made..."

Another preacher said, "We have seen attempts by people going around asking what the church is preaching. We've also experienced members of Parliament calling to inquire about guests invited to a particular church and what the sermon was about. I'm afraid the government has shut down the doors of the church."

Speaking at the same press conference, a female preacher also expressed her concerns, saying that preachers have become targets of State agents. 

"When you see police officers came to your church to inquire what the sermon is about and what we are preaching about, we feel like this is an attempt to muzzle preachers," she said.

"We preach what God has put in the heart of the minister... Not some teachings that have been passed to us."

The preachers further urged President William Ruto to side with them, adding that they had overwhelmingly supported him during the election period and did not expect persecution.

"We did not imagine this would happen to us even after we supported the President. We elected him because we believed in him and believed he's a man of God too," one preacher said.

Back in September, a lobby group representing communities from the Mt. Kenya region called for the rejection of proposed legislation aimed at regulating ‘rogue’ preachers, arguing that it was an attempt to control religious organizations.

The group, Aaca Movement, criticised the government’s move as unconstitutional, harsh, and punitive, claiming there was no public participation as required by law.

“The Kenyan government is in the advanced stages of enacting punitive laws against the church under the guise of controlling rogue churches. If these so-called rogue churches are involved in criminal activities, the police should target them directly rather than punishing the entire religious sector,” the group stated.

The statement, released by Chairman Kimani Ngunjiri and Secretary General Stephen Ndicho, emphasised that any individuals breaking the law should face legal consequences, but the entire religious sector should not be subjected to punitive measures such as hefty fines and imprisonment.

"Aaca Movement stands with other organisations in Kenya opposing the legislation of harsh anti-church laws. What the government is doing is persecuting the church. We say no!” they declared.