For the longest time, the freedom of the Church has been guided by its religious norms, cultures and rules, while adhering to state rule under the then-old 1963 Constitution and the recent 2010 Constitution.
The Church, since independence days, has operated on its guided religious norms with a lot of freedom to worship, as well as operate businesses.
However, the mushrooming of churches in the recent past has brought to limelight serious issues that forced the state to form a Presidential taskforce to review some of the laws governing religious organisations in Kenya.
As of 2023, more than 4,000 churches had been registered in the country.
The Shakahola exposé is a recent phenomenal example of why the Presidential taskforce on review of laws governing religious organisations in Kenya was proposed.
At the same time, the recent activities in Rongo in Migori County, where two bodies, including that of a General Service Unit (GSU) officer, were found buried at the Melkio St. Joseph’s Missions of Messiah Church compound illegally, point out a further need for urgent reinforcement of the taskforce report.
The Church’s evil activities came into the limelight when the family members of a GSU officer who hails from Kisumu County died in March in the company of his wife while on transit to the Rongo-based Church and was hurriedly buried within the compound of the Church.
The Rongo-based Church with questionable doctrines has now been shut down by authorities following the rescue of 57 worshippers who resided within the premises while believing in suspicious religious beliefs.
In the last decade, a lot of cult-like religious institutions have emerged, with entities like Yesu Wa Tongaren in Bungoma and the Shakahola massacre in Kilifi county that left over 200 people dead, shocking the nation.
The Kisumu-based Coptic Church is another one that has been engulfed in controversy over the years, with some members of the public accusing the Church leader, Father John Pesa, of practicing cultism.
The long list also includes a pastor of the New Foundation Church in Chakama, Magarini Constituency, Kilifi County, who was recently arrested over the deaths of Church members after tree-climbing rituals in pursuit of healing and freedom.
The Melkio Messiah Church has all the makings of a cult and according to the residents of Opapo village, where the Church has operated with a lot of secrecy for decades, the Church’s dead spiritual leader was also buried within the Church’s compound and was referred to as Halleluhya.
The 57 believers of the Melkio Messiah Church who were arrested during the police crackdown declined medical treatment.
They instead resorted to reciting their Church teachings and rites, further triggering public beliefs that the Church has radicalized them into some retrogressive religious life.
The congregants also refused to return to their respective homes, sparking alarm among families and authorities that led to their detention in various police stations for the next 30 days.
The 2004 Presidential Taskforce on review of laws governing religious organisations in Kenya, chaired by Rev. Mutava Musyimi, had recommended reforms to curb religious extremism.
However, according to the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration, Kipchumba Murkomen, the Cabinet is set to consider the report by the Presidential taskforce before it is transmitted to Parliament for consideration.
According to Migori County Commissioner Mutua Kisilu, the Melkio Messiah Church’s registration was irregular, having been filed as a company rather than a religious institution.
Lack of clear laws restricting the opening of churches in Kenya is one of the reasons for the emergence of cult-like churches in the country.
Umbrella bodies like The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), established in 1913 during the Missionary era to provide a clear guideline on church operations as well as to advocate for peace, justice and human rights in Kenya, with core values of integrity, stewardship and professionalism, have no clear path on how to restrict Churches to existing religious laws.
The NCCK, just as the 2010 constitution under the Bill of Rights, where every person has the right to freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief and opinion, does not have clear rules on how churches can be managed or restricted.
According to Lilian Adhiambo, the sister of the deceased GSU officer at Melkio Messiah church, security agencies and the community should play their rightful roles to avoid such incidents in the future.
She revealed that the family had been living in agony over the last month since her brother was buried at the Rongo-based Church.
“I am urging the state to be very keen in identifying this misleading church that brainwashes our brothers and sisters into cultic activities,” Adhiambo pleaded.
Nyanza Regional Commissioner Florence Mworoa, while on a visit at the Melkio Church, warned that the government will not spare any unregistered Church entities in an effort to curb religious radicalization.
Mworoa said that a looming crackdown on unregistered Churches will not spare anyone, cautioning government officials who collude with unregistered entities that their days were numbered.
Meanwhile, the Presidential taskforce on review of laws governing religious organisations in Kenya under the stewardship of Rev. Mutava Musyimi had proposed that individuals who operate unregistered churches and other religious organisations, risk a fine of up to Sh5 million, or three years in jail, or both if the proposed bill becomes law.
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