President Uhuru Kenyatta 
Kenya’s bishops have said they are “shocked and surprised” by government plans to regulate worship in the east African country.
Responding to concerns that some pastors were fleecing followers and some mosques are becoming centres of radicalisation, the government has published new rules requiring religious leaders to have theological degrees and religious groups to submit statements of faith.
Religious Societies Rules 2015 appears contrary to Kenya’s constitution, the bishops said in a statement, which they said is “explicitly clear on the freedom of worship” and clearly distinguishes between the state and religion.
Through the proposed legislation, the bishops said, the government evidently intends to interfere in religious worship, asking “Is this not a clear violation of the constitution?”
If the new law is implemented, they said, it will have a “direct and negative impact on our evangelisation mission”. Claiming that “broad sections of the law are unrealistic and utopian”, they note that “parts of the law require different faiths to keep an updated register of all members”, and declare the “work of winning souls for Christ is an ongoing task, one that happens every second, every minute, every day and night. Every second, millions of souls are won for Christ. To demand that all faiths keep records of people won for Christ every minute and those who have become inactive is therefore logistically unrealistic and untenable.”
They also challenged the planned power “to invade churches to conduct an impromptu audit”, describing this as “a license for the government to violate constitutionally guaranteed freedom of worship”.
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has asked the Attorney General to review the new law in consultation with all stakeholders.
