Senator Mungatana heeds church concerns, withdraws Bill to regulate religious groups

It is a sigh of relief for churches in Kenya after Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana formally wrote to the Speaker of the Senate to withdraw the Religious Organisations Bill, which sought to regulate religious groups.

The bill had sparked widespread condemnation from churches under the umbrella of Pentecostal Voices of Kenya, with clergy warning that, if passed into law, it would infringe on their right to worship. The religious leaders have been advocating for self-regulation.

"He listened to us and saw the importance of hearing all the churches so that we can come up with something that will be accepted in Kenya by all the churches," Bishop Harrison Ng'ang'a of the Charismatic Association of Kenya, said.

"The proposal has been withdrawn and it will end there. We have formed a church taskforce, and we will plan how we will implement self-regulation," Bishop Hudson Ndeda, of the Church and Clergy Association of Kenya (CCAK) added.

Mungatana crafted the bill in the wake of the Shakahola massacre, which claimed 446 lives. The massacre was attributed to the Good News International Church, led by Paul Mackenzie, who faces prosecution alongside other suspects for the loss of life. Mungatana now seems to be heeding the church's calls for self-regulation.

"We will withdraw the bill so that we can have the opportunity to engage with all stakeholders, and the law we create later will be one that everyone agrees with," he said.

Elsewhere in Kiambu County, the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) has accused the Ruto administration of using intimidation tactics to prevent religious leaders from critiquing the government.

The Moderator of the PCEA, Dr Thegu Mutahi, has accused the government of sending suspicious individuals to attend church services in an attempt to intimidate preachers from speaking out against the government.

"There are people who come to church, they don't identify themselves, they are suspicious...This has happened when the church began becoming hard on the government. We are concerned, that some of these visitors are not genuine, they are selling fear," said Mutahi.

He also wants the government to immediately constitute the IEBC, terming the delay a deliberate ploy by Parliament to avoid accountability. According to Mutahi, Kenyans have lost confidence in Parliament, which they believe is under state capture.

"What the Executive wants done is done in record time, that shows that Parliament is not independent, its arm is twisted and maybe that's why our parliamentarians don't want a fully constituted IEBC because it's a threat to them," Mutahi said.