Senate begins process to regulate churches as 11-member committee formed

The process of forming a law to regulate religious activities in the country has started in earnest, after the Senate on Thursday formed an Ad-hoc committee to propose laws aimed at bringing sanity to religious institutions.

The Senate decried how leaders of religious institutions are taking advantage of gullible Kenyans and especially children, the latest incident in Shakahola leading to the deaths of more than 100 citizens.

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

The House also wants the team to investigate the role played by the church’s controversial pastor Paul Mackenzie, his pastoral team and the Kilifi County security apparatus.

Further the committee has been tasked with establishing, through the Office of Registrar of Societies, the number and activities of religious groups in the country and to audit the legal and registration framework for religious organizations.

The team is also required to develop legislative proposal on regulation of religious activities in the country, and make any other recommendation that will prevent religious organizations from extreme indoctrination of their followers, including radicalization, spiritual and financial exploitation.

Khalwale told the Senate that it was regrettable that religious leaders were taking advantage of vulnerable Kenyans and especially children, as shown by a majority of the bodies recovered in the Shakahola massacre site.

“It is appalling that in his own home, where he lives with his wife and children, a mass grave of children aged between 3 and 12 were buried; how a two-year-old is denied food in the name of fasting beats logic,” said the Senator.

“The committee owes the 53 million Kenyans that never again will a Christian child, never again will a Muslim child, never again will the child of this country, be denied an opportunity to drink water, to eat food in the name of religio.”

Khalwale also proposed that bishops should not be given licenses to operate TV stations as they are being used to propagate their radicalization.

“It is refreshing that one of the senior Bishops in one of the churches has called for an audit - financial audit of leaders of churches. You can see they are opening the door for us. If you do a financial audit, the one who was arrested today, in the name of Ezekiel Odero, if you go to his compound it is like you are in Los Angeles. This must stop,” he stated,

“Don’t give us a report that will suggest in any way, selective justice. If Yesu of Tongaren is the problem, come for him. If you are coming for Yesu of Tongaren please come for people like the so called Prophet Owuor.”

Senate Minority Whip Stewart Madzayo, who withdrew from the committee because the killings happened in his county, was confident that the Senators selected will handle the task head-on despite the fact that they will face many challenges.

“My prayer is that at the end of it they will come with very fundamental legislative proposals that will find favour in this House so that the country will move forward and change these negative happenings, these events that have made this country cry,” Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana opined.

“That the crying and the tears of Kenyans and the people who have been affected directly and those that have been horrified by what has happened, that we will turn those tears into something positive, that people will be able to take their kids to Sunday school without fearing that they will be exposed to radicalism, cultism and things that will destroy them.”