Nairobi — A section of Pentecostal Church leaders has castigated President William Ruto's decision to form a 17-member task force to review legal and regulatory frameworks governing religious organizations in Kenya.
In a statement, the leaders urged President Ruto to revoke the gazetted task force to come up with an all-inclusive membership which will also include representatives from the Pentecostal and Charismatic churches.
"The said task force was established without any consultation being done to the Pentecostal umbrella bodies and was ill-advised. None of the persons gazette are leaders in our collective associations hence the report will be biased," read the statement.
"In light of the above, we urge President William Ruto to revoke the gazette task force dated 5th May and come up with all-inclusive membership which represents Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches."
They added that because the church is already governed by the society's act then the government cannot create new regulations on a regular basis.
They said that the church shouldn't be treated differently from the other institutions because the same approach is not taken when dealing with rogue doctors, lawyers, or teachers.
"We vehemently oppose the knee jerk reaction by the present administration against our religious liberty which has since created and gazetted the task force, though the so-called Paul Mackenzie presented himself as a Pentecostal and Charismatic preacher hence the intended regulations will greatly affect the Pentecostal church at large.," the statement read.
"It is on record that our respective societies have been part and parcel of the reforms, at the Attorney General's office since 2014 upon which we have championed for self-regulation under our respective umbrella bodies."
This follows President William Ruto on Friday instituting a 17-member taskforce to review legal and regulatory frameworks governing religious organizations in Kenya.
In a gazette notice dated May 5, President Ruto announced that Reverend Mutava Musyimi will chair the committee which will be operational for the next six months.
Bishop Mark Kariuki, Bishop (Dr.) Eli Rop, Archbishop Maurice Muhatia, Judy Thongori, Rev (Dr.) Alphonse Kanga, Bishop Philip Kitoto and Dr. Faridun Abdalla will sit on the committee as members.
They will be joined by Prof. Musili Wambua, Joseph Khalende Wabwire, Mary Awuor Kitegi, Charles Kanjama, Leah Kasera, Nancy Murega and Wilson Wanyanga.
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Martin Ndiwa Talian and Maria Goretti Nyariki will serve as the task force's joint secretaries.
The task force was formed following the discovery of mass graves in Shakahola forest, Kilifi in what has been dubbed the "Shakahola forest massacre".
Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, who is due to face terrorism charges for allegedly urging followers to starve to death "to meet Jesus," appeared in the dock in Kenya 's second-largest city of Mombasa.
The Mutava-led team is mandated to identify gaps and propose legal and governance changes to prevent religious extremism.
It will also inform standards used to grant certificates to various religious institutions in the country.
The task force would engage the public in various forums before submitting the report that will be adopted to guide the operation of religious institutions in the country.
President Ruto on Saturday added that he would hold a meeting with Kenya's religious leaders to discuss the establishment of a task force and other measures to help weed out people who misuse religion.
