This archive report was first published on 12 June 2020.
On June 8, 2020, Kenya Pentecostal Alliance (KPA) churches urged the government to reopen churches and recognize their role in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Addressing the media in Athi River, clerics argued that the government's decision to close churches was discriminatory, as it considered them social gatherings.
KPA chairperson Bishop Jonah Kariuki noted that churches have administrative structures in place to govern their operations.
The clerics want the government to work with churches in creating awareness about the spread of the pandemic and to provide personal protective equipment to struggling churches.
They also called for the government to impose affordable guidelines for churches, given the financial difficulties many churches are facing due to the pandemic.
“Let the government understand that churches should not be classified as social gatherings. They are institutions that need to be recognised in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Churches control huge congregations. Let the government allow them to reopen,” Bishop Kariuki said.
Like other churches in the country, the KPA members are using social media and other forums to deliver sermons to their members and educate them on how to protect themselves from the coronavirus.
