Do Not Regulate Religion, NCCK Advices
The National Council of Churches of Kenya has advised against development or imposition of regulation on religion, noting that such would infringe on the right of citizens to hold religious beliefs.
This is contained in a memorandum presented to the Presidential Taskforce on the Review of Legal and Regulatory Framework Governing Religious Organisations by the NCCK Chairman, Archbishop Timothy Ndambuki and General Secretary Rev Canon Chris Kinyanjui.
Read Full Memorandum: NCCK Memorandum on Regulation of Religion – NCCK
“Every Kenyan has a right to, individually or in groups, hold a religious belief and practice it. No one therefore has a right to dictate to another the nature, object or exercise of their faith or religion,” the NCCK says in the memorandum.
The NCCK officials observed that practices detrimental to individual health and safety and public interest that the Taskforce is concerned about are by nature criminal activities that arise from the failure by responsible agencies and offices to enforce the law.
“We recognize that this Taskforce was established on the backdrop of the saddening deaths of hundreds of Kenyans at Shakahola. As we posited to the Senate Ad Hoc Committee investigating the massacre, the deaths are a crime that resulted from the failure by security agencies to act on reports that were made to them,” the memorandum reads in part.
The NCCK thus recommended that action be taken against any person who engages in criminal activity, not against citizens exercising their freedom of religion.
Among other recommendations to the Taskforce, the NCCK noted that the state should not dictate the education or qualification levels of religious leaders, since each citizen has a right to choose who to associate with.
The NCCK also strongly advised against establishment of a mechanism to be used to report practices of religious groups, noting that such have traditionally been used by politicians to intimidate and suppress enjoyment of religious freedom by citizens.
