Church hides children in bush to avoid immunisation

By Antony Gitonga                         

Faithful of a church in Naivasha hid their children in a bush to avoid them being immunised against measles.

 Administration Police together with officers from the department of public health raided the Africa Kanisa Israel church in after members declined to have the children vaccinated against measles.

Members of the church in Kinamba village denied that they had refused to have their minors vaccinated but a search police found four malnourished minors hidden in the bushes.

None of the children had ever been immunized since birth and the health officers had to administer the required vaccines.

The over 100 members live in ‘Akorino village’ and where they worship in a church whose floor is littered with hay.

According to Naivasha district public health officer Mr Samuel King’ori, they raided the village after getting a tip-off from members of the public.

“The church members were first adamant but we have managed to talk to them and immunized all the minors,” he said.

King’ori noted that it was in the same village where a family declined to have their minors immunised and one ended up dying three months ago.

He said one family in Mai Mahiu area had declined to have their minors immunised and police had to arrest them.

At the end of the five day campaign, the senior officer said that they had identified nine new cases in the district.

“The campaign has been very successful and we hope to surpass the 50,000 mark which we had set,” he said.

The church leader Fredrick Mwangi defended his members noting that anyone was free to seek medical attention or prayers.

Mwangi said that the bible gave them the alternative of praying instead of going to hospital but was quick to deny denying the minors any vaccination.

“We live and stay here and at no time have we refused to have our minors vaccinated though that is an individual decision,” he said.