Crack down on rogue sects

The days of the con pastors preying on gullible Kenyans are numbered should a proposed law be enacted. This is long overdue as there are many crooks hiding behind religion to rip off faithful.

Some have brainwashed their followers and driven them to their early graves. Though the clerics fingered over the Shakahola starvation deaths in Kilifi County are still facing trial, hundreds of bodies have been recovered from shallow graves. More than 400 have been exhumed and around 600 people have been reported missing.

The authorities deserve kudos for unearthing the shocking deaths, but some lives could have been saved had they acted faster. Freedom of worship is a key right guaranteed by the Constitution. It allows the people freely to practise their religions. However, it is not a licence to mislead or manipulate and cause the deaths of those seeking spiritual nourishment.

It is for this reason that the bid to tame rogue churches and pastors is welcome. Huge fines, jail terms and tough rules are contained in a new Bill that seeks to rein in the crooked men and women of the cloth.

Citizen’s freedom of worship

People running unregistered churches and other religious organisations risk fines of up to Sh5 million, three years in prison or both, if a Bill in the Senate is passed and assented to.

The Religious Organisations Bill, 2024 is a product of the Senate inquiry into the Shakohola massacre. It seeks to curb the proliferation of extremist religious organisations that breed cults. A Sh10 million fine or five-year jail sentence awaits those who use coercion, or undue influence in religious conversion or recruitment.

The Bill also proposes the establishment of the Office of the Registrar of Religious Organisations to streamline their operations.

Similar efforts have worked well elsewhere, including Rwanda, where the government has shut down fake churches. However, such legislation should not be abused to violate any citizen’s freedom of worship. It must be transparently enforced.