Freedom to worship is enshrined in the Constitution and since time immemorial, human beings are free to engage a superior being of their choice. In supplication to whom they believe is their god, human beings tend to exercise untold free choice. Nobody should be forced to pray to or obey any particular being.
In Kenya, religious leaders have been held in high esteem for many years, especially by their respective faithful. The congregants have always followed their religious leaders and their teachings.
However, there have been questionable conducts from some clerics, resulting into numerous questions by well-meaning Kenyans. Once in a while, there have been reports of clergymen and women who ask their followers not to go to hospital or seek treatment when they fall sick. Neighbours and friends of such followers have been forced to take them to hospital by force, where in some cases children are victims.
Other rogue clerics ask their followers not to take their children to school, claiming that doing so would expose them to ungodly teachings and circumstances. This is quite unfortunate, seeing that illiteracy is major cause of misery and poverty. To stem such, a new proposed law seeks to regulate how churches, mosques and temples operate. This will include registration to prevent them from engaging in fraudulent activities even as they enjoy freedom of worship.
The proposed law, being drafted by the Attorney General’s office, will see the government lift a ban on registration of religious institutions imposed in 2014 following increased cases of radicalisation and criminal activities that affected faithful.
Currently, there are over 10,000 churches in Kenya but no records on the number of other religious institutions such as mosques and temples.
The proposed law gives the registrar powers to issue summons to any person who may assist in the investigation of matters relating to the association, refuse to register or incorporate the association, cancel the registration, initiate liquidation of an association or even proscribe an association as unlawful. The proposed law seeks to declare associations unlawful if they are not registered, commit an international crime or engage in illegal activities contrary to the law.
Finally, it is upon the clergy, their followers and the authorities to strike a balance that will safeguard freedom of worship and not curtail human development.
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