Pentecostal Churches Reject Plan to Regulate Religious Institutions 

The Association of Pentecostal Churches and Training Institutes Saturday rejected the Senate Bill on religious organisations.

The Bill was crafted following recommendations from a presidential task force.

The rejection comes a day after Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua joined the debate and called for freedom of worship and religious organizations.

Gachagua who seemed to support the churches said the institutions should be left to regulate themselves.

This was seen as an opposition to the state plans to regulate the institutions, some of which are seen as rogue.

Speaking in Nakuru during the launch of the Association of Pentecostal Vocational Training Institutions of Kenya (APVOTIK), Bishop Ezekiel Mwendo, the Secretary General, said that before the Bill is tabled in Parliament, it should be subjected to proper deliberation and public participation.

He added that it would not pass if the churches are not considered and consulted.

The association brings together more than 200 churches across the country.

The official said members should be given an opportunity in government leadership, for a country may not progress without moral guidance.

Bishop Dr. Caleb Oruko, the association’s Vice Chairperson, added that the Senate Bill did not go through full public participation and is punitive.

He said it has a lot of academic recommendations, which may put a lot of religious organisations at a risk of facing closure, which is not their wish.

The Religious Organisations Bill, 2024, proposes a framework for how religious institutions operate in the country.

This also involves strict measures for registration and penalties for unregistered institutions.

Sponsored by Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana, the Bill has already undergone the First Reading.

In the Bill, religious leaders who use manipulative schemes to perform miracles to gain money face either a Ksh.5 million fine or a 10-year jail term.

The Bill also dictates that for an institution to be registered, at least 25 persons must profess the same faith and receive an endorsement by an umbrella religious body.

There is debate on the issue amid opposition from some quarters.