President Uhuru Kenyatta has directed that places of worship in the country will be reopened following the protocols developed by the Inter Faith Council. COURTESY PHOTO.
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has set in motion the phased resumption of congregational worship in the country but extended the closure of bars for another 30 days.
In reference to his address to the nation on Monday, the Head of State explained that the phased reopening of places of worship, expected to take effect in the next three weeks, will see only 100 congregants allowed into the sanctuaries.
“In line with the guidelines issued by the Inter-Faith Council, only a maximum of one hundred (100) participants will be allowed at each worship ceremony and not more than one hour. Sunday Schools and Madrassas shall remain suspended until further notice, and in-person worship shall not include congregants under the age of thirteen (13) years or above the age of 58 years or persons with underlying conditions,” he stated.
According to media sources in Kenya, President Uhuru said that a service should not last for more than one hour.
“The 15-member team was tasked to come up with protocols for the celebration of weddings and other religious ceremonies in the places of worship under social distancing guidelines,” Capital FM – Kenya reported.
Places of worship including churches and mosques were shut to cub the spread of the coronavirus with some Christian leaders resorting to transmitting their services throug online platforms and television stations.
When the nation started to reopen the economy, several church leaders called upon the president to reopen places of worship adding that they were ready to adhere to the measures issued by the Ministry of Health.
Kenya had registered more tan 7,000 cases by July.
A call to gov’t to support re-opening
Uganda Christian News understands that a group of Kenyan churches has called on the government to support independent churches to reopen alongside the mainstream ones.
Pentecostal Alliance of Kenya (PAK), comprising over 2,000 individual member churches, asked President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto to cater for smaller churches that are not under the big religious umbrella bodies like the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) and the Evangelical Alliance (EAK).
The alliance said that some of the pre-conditions being touted for the reopening of churches such as buying disinfectant booths cannot be met by small churches unless they get support from the government.
How Kenya came up with a road map
Church elders had started accusing the government of using the Covid-19 crisis to ban churches from freedom of worship.
Led by Bishop Isaac Obure of Future Life Ministry Church, the elders were quoted as saying it beats logic to open markets but close places of worship.
They had warned that the government should not hide behind the pandemic to regulate churches and also perceive them as the only institution where people don’t follow the law.
“What is special that the churches have refused to do in line with the guidelines that the supermarkets are doing to warrant their opening?” Bishop Isaac Obure asked, according to sources.
Obure said the pandemic is here to stay and if the government wants long lasting modalities in any sector, it will be prudent to involve all stakeholders.
This is when a 15-member interfaith council was started to formulate protocol for reopening places of worship. Kenya’s government through the Ministry of Health and Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i also arranged for a number of professionals to advise the religious leaders in establishing a practical road-map.
