Nairobi — The Government's plan to ban cigarette and alcohol advertisements has won the backing of Muslim, Hindu and Christian faiths.

Representatives of the faiths communities also demanded a Government crackdown on pornography in electronic and print media.

They spoke out in Nairobi at the end of a consultative meeting organised by the Inter-religious Council of Kenya (IRCK).

The meeting chaired by Al-Hajj Murigi who is also the vice-Chairman of the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslim was convened to discuss the media and its effects on children.

Among those present was Rattan Channa from the Hindu Council, Anglican bishops Gideon Ireri and William Waqo, Bishop Joseph Macharia of Organisation of Africa Instituted Churches and Pastor Peter Bwana of the SDA Church and Secretary General of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya Sheikh Muhammad Dormuhammad.

The Government announced two months ago that it plans to ban the advertisements of alcohol and cigarettes on moral grounds.

But it faced stiff opposition from the media owners, advertisers and section of politicians who claim this would stifle investments and lead to job losses.

However, religious leaders have asked the Government to protect the children from moral ruin.

"We have in the past called on Government to apply the law in stopping access to immoral material, specifically pornographic material in electronic and print media," they said.

The gathering rebuked the nation for abandoning 'its values and traditions and neglecting and abusing its children'.

Kenya, they said, was paying the price of ignoring its religious leaders and warned that no meaningful development would be attained without input from the clerics.

"We affirm that the solutions to Kenya's problems cannot be imported or downloaded from the Internet," they said in a terse statement read by Waqo.

"We are calling on Kenyans to realise that our nation is becoming morally sick," they said adding: "The continued abuse of our children by adults, including child rape, torture, child labour and slavery, is a serious indictment of our decay."

They expressed pain at the rise in the number of street children 'without corresponding sympathy from society'.

"We remember the children mercilessly killed for reasons we cannot fathom. We are shocked by the lukewarm response of the Government and the apathy of the nation towards such a calamity."

They accused the Government of sidelining them on national matters.

"We decry of minimalist involvement of religious leaders on issues affecting our children and orphans and vulnerable children. We also note with concern the absence, and in some cases, deliberate exclusion of religious leaders in national committees that formulate public media policies or monitoring their implementation," they said.

Even the free primary education that has earned the Narc government plaudits from the world stage was subjected to a fault.

"While we appreciate its benefits, we hold the Government responsible for haphazard policies and interventions on issues of orphans and vulnerable children," they said.