It's time to regulate churches after Shakahola massacre
Some of the 26 bodies that were exhumed from a mass grave site at Shakahola Village in Kilifi County on April 24, 2023, from land belonging to cult leader Paul Mackenzie.
Vindicated • During campaigns for the 2022 General Election, Prof Sam Chege recalls, Ida Odinga, the wife of then-presidential candidate Raila Odinga, “came under heavy criticism for suggesting the need to regulate churches in Kenya”. The religious cult starvation deaths tragedy in Kilifi, he adds, “reminds us all that it’s time to enact legal guidelines for the operations of churches.” His contact [email protected].
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Salaries • In his 32 years as a government officer from 1969, Peter R. Githinji says there was not a single month that he missed his pay. “Today, I often read about workers missing salaries because their employer has no money. To make matters worse, some are paid earlier than others.” He simply can’t imagine doctors not going to work because of unpaid salaries. His contact is [email protected].
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Honesty • Addis Ababa-based Kenyan Jean-Paul O. Awuor, gushing with praise for a Nairobi hotel employee, says “Unblemished honesty is always admirable, more so when blended with selflessness”. The young employee of the Embassy Hotel alerted him after he misplaced his purse. “It contained my medical insurance card, Ethiopian diplomatic ID and foreign currency.” His contact is [email protected].
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Quality • Manchester City have just confirmed in their recent 4-1 thrashing of Arsenal their superiority in the English Premier League, says Jediel Muthuri. “The match was like a primary school team playing against a secondary school one. Arsenal looked like they were training and not playing the best team. How did they get on top of the table, as they are so poor?” His contact is [email protected].
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Patriotism • Too much time, energy and resources are going into fanatically supporting foreign football teams thousands of kilometres away, says Fred Njuki. To him, he adds, this is the continuation of mental colonisation. “If we channelled similar efforts into our own football clubs, the African nations would be up there competing for the top world football honours.” His contact is [email protected].
Have a homegrown day, won’t you!
