Atheists support broadcast ban on ‘Seed Pastors’ in Kenya

Atheists in Kenya have lauded the move by Communication Authority to ban televangelists from 'seed' preaching.

They said it is a high time that the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) and the police stepped in to enforce the new regulations to the latter.

"We welcome this bold move by CA that seeks to ban fraudulent seed preaching as well as preachers who recruit people to faiths or ask them to get saved. If anything this was long overdue," said the Association President Harrison Mumia in a statement.

Mumia noted that for a long time these kind of preachers had taken advantage of the ignorant and easily swindled Kenyans by promising them blessings and prosperity as long as they are able to plant a 'seed.'

"Kenyans have lost millions of shillings in this scam all in the name of God. With these hard economic times and the high poverty levels, these preachers have found a fertile ground to perpetrate their fraudulent activities," he said.

According to part of the CA regulations, the common practice by preachers to recruit followers to their faiths, asking viewers/listeners to give money in exchange for a blessing or an extra-ordinary miracle should not be on television in the next six months.

These regulations bring into light preachers who have been exposed by investigative journalists on the nonreligious ways they use to swindle followers. The most prominent of all was Pastor Victor Kanyari who was exposed by KTN’s investigative series 'Jicho Pevu' on how he was accumulating wealth healing followers by making them 'bleed' using potassium permanganate.

The atheists' leader said the government should come up with even stringent regulations that will protect citizens from the fraudsters who are only looking for quick solutions to their problems at the expense of poor Kenyans.

"We would like the government to go a step further and take action against these preachers and false prophets who hold healing rallies and claim to heal all types of diseases making many leave advanced medicine for false prophecies," said Mumia.