Embrace crusades as part of self-regulation, Koskei tells churches

Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei has called on mainstream churches to reinitiate Christian fellowships and crusades as a way of regulating the church.

Koskei who was accompanied by Public Service Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa, her Tourism counterpart Penninah Malonza, Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro and Kilifi North MP Owen Baya for a church function at St James Anglican Church of Kenya at Gede, said that the fellowships will deter criminals from infiltrating the church.

“In the past, the mainstream churches used to conduct fellowships but that has changed and the business is now Sunday service until another Sunday service. Can you go out and do evangelism, rallies, and crusades and preach to the world so that we don’t leave a gap for criminals to invade the church,” he said.

He pointed out the Shakahola massacre in Kilifi county where pastor Paul Makenzi who is in custody allegedly subjected his followers to fast until they died so that they could meet Jesus Christ.

“The most vulnerable are women who follow the fake preachers blindly and we need to check that,” he said.

He also called on all Kenyans to rally behind President William Ruto so that he could deliver services to all regions irrespective of political affiliation.

“The president has lined up projects to benefit Kenyans and all these will be realized when we have stability and we should work with the government of the day despite our political affiliation since we need to work for Kenyans,” he said.

Ms Jumwa waded into politics and urged the expelled Orange Democratic Movement MPs to stand firm and continue working with the President to develop their areas.

She castigated ODM leader Raila Odinga for curtailing freedom of association saying that the Political Parties Act (PPA) that was relied upon to expel the ODM rebels was not above the Constitution.

Ms Malonza on her part acknowledged the existence of human-wildlife conflicts in Kilifi County and announced that her department had set aside Sh36 million shillings to compensate victims of human-wildlife conflicts in the county.

She also donated a van for the Tourist police unit in Watamu.

Koskei delivered President Ruto’s donation of Sh1 million and gave his donation of a similar amount while Mung’aro and Baya donated Sh300,000 each in aid of the church.

Mr Baya said that he will continue to work with Governor Mung’aro and also lure him to the government side politically.

“I was elected on UDA and Mung’aro was elected on ODM and all these two governments are ours and we must protect the two governments and I also welcome him to sit inside government,” he said.

Mung’aro told Baya that he should go slow on luring him to UDA for fear that he may also be expelled.

“You should go slow because I may also be expelled but I want to say here that even my party leader knows that as a governor I must work with the national government and it is in law,” he said.