Religious leaders Friday told the Attorney-General Githu Muigai that they want to have structured discussions on proposed measures to curb “seed gospel” in Kenya.
This came as the government beat a hasty retreat on its tough stance on religious organisations saying it had no intention of regulating or interfering with their work.
Attorney-General Githu Muigai, who had earlier in the week invited religious organisations and other government organs to discuss, among other things, recent media reports about the alleged illicit activities of certain religious institutions, said they were only interested in fostering cooperation and collaboration.
“I would like to assure the public and the religious groups that the government recognises the important role that religious organisations play in development, health, education and social welfare.
“The meeting today was to discuss the issues of the controversial marriage law that has generated a lot of complaints from religious organisations and the on-going project to modernise and streamline laws especially the Societies Act,” said Prof Muigai without any reference to the raging debate of illicit activities of certain churches.
He said the government was now considering removing religious organisations from the control of the Registrar of Societies and would instead come up with a framework that would allow the organisations to operate like trade unions and political parties.
“The State Law Office has also invited various religious organisations, the Parliamentary Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs and the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution for a meeting to be held on Friday November 14, 2014 to discuss proposed regulations on religious organizations operating in Kenya,” said the AG.
He said the move to regulate religious organisations was prompted by recent media reports about the alleged illicit activities of certain religious institutions and the need for remedial actions in order to restore public confidence.
But a parallel group that held their meeting at Ufungamano House criticised the AG, saying he had reneged on their agreement to hold a meeting in his chambers and was instead holding it “in an open hall at the KICC with the media”.
In a joint press briefing, the leaders from the Muslim, Hindu and Christian communities said they would not agree to be pushed into taking positions on issues without consulting their followers.
“We do not wish to participate in a public baraza that is set to discuss matters about which we have not been informed in advance,” Bishop Mark Kariuki of the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya said.
“It is very unfair and illogical for the government to attempt to control and muzzle all religious institutions by introducing new regulations that are not in line with the religious freedoms set out by the Constitution,” he said.
He also accused the government of trying to create a religious crisis by imposing moratoriums on the way religious institutions should manage the money they collect from their flock.
National Council of Churches Secretary-General Canon Peter Karanja said that what happened at Salvation and Healing Ministries, led by ‘Prophet Dr’ Kanyari, was an isolated case that does not warrant generalisation to all religious institutions.
The inter-religious leaders also proposed that ‘Prophet’ Kanyari and any other person who is caught breaking the law to be accorded their rights as justice takes it cause.
Mr Kariuki, on behalf of the religious leaders, said that they were not opposed to holding consultations with the government.
“However, there must be structures which cannot be in the context of public barazas,” he said.
Mr Nitin Malde of the Hindu Council of Kenya said that they were especially concerned about matters that touch on the exercise of religious freedom in the country.
Other leaders who attended the Ufungamano meeting were Sheikh Adan Wachu (Supkem), Bishop David Oginde (CITAM), Connie Kivuti (Evangelical Alliance of Kenya), Franklin Wariba (SDA), DR Francis Kuria (Inter-religious Council of Kenya) and David Warui (Organisation of African Instituted Churches).
On Monday, the AG’s office suspended the registration of new religious organisations indefinitely as it moved to streamline the regulation of such entities.
In a statement, Prof Muigai also directed existing religious organisations to file returns of their current status with the Registrar of Societies.
Such information, the AG noted, must include full name of the organisation, registration number, date of registration and full particulars of office bearers, copy of identification card, passport photo and a copy of the KRA personal identification number (PIN).
The AG said the moratorium on registration of new organisations would continue but promised that it would be lifted soon once a legal framework has been put in place.
He said his office would establish a special unit to specifically address issues of religious organisations.
ACK Bishop Macmillan Kiiru, who attended the AG’s meeting, said there had been fears among religious groups that the government was planning to curtail freedom of worship in Kenya.
Among those who had been invited for yesterday’s meeting were Dr Francis Kuria of the Inter-Religious Council of Kenya, Fr Vincent Wambugu of the Kenya Episcopal Conference (KEC) and Rev Canon Peter Karanja Mwangi, the general-secretary of the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK).
Others were Vanraj Sarvaiya of the Hindu Council of Kenya (HCK) and Prof Abdul Gafar Al-Busaidy from Supkem.
