Who is afraid of Atheism in Kenya?

Recently, there have been reports in the local and international media on atheism in Kenya. These reports have focused mainly on the controversies surrounding the efforts of a small group of atheists in the country, under the umbrella of the Atheists in Kenya (AIK), to gain local recognition and be registered under the Kenyan law.

Unfortunately, this move has elicited opposition from religious groups and even state officials.  In this piece, I argue that these controversies, though understandable, are completely unnecessary and unhelpful to the nation of Kenya. The hostile reactions that the registration of AIK have generated are clearly indicators of intolerance, fear and fanaticism and should not be associated with the contemporary Kenyan society.  Now let us take a quite look at the issues at stake.