This archive report was first published on 28 June 2020.
As Kenya continues to grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) has urged the government to reopen places of worship, citing the need for spiritual guidance and community support.
Speaking on behalf of the KCCB, Bishop Anthony Ireri emphasized that the clergy are willing to work with the government to ensure that churches are reopened safely, saying, "We urge the Government to give us the opportunity to reopen churches, we will organize ourselves."
Ireri also highlighted that the clergy had already implemented guidelines from the Vatican before the pandemic, and were ready to do so again to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Meanwhile, the Inter-Faith Council, led by Archbishop Antony Muheria, is set to release guidelines on the reopening of churches in the coming week. The Council has been holding consultative meetings with various religious groups and interested persons to allow for a phased reopening of churches in line with the guidelines set by the Ministry of Health.
According to Muheria, the public is invited to participate in the process by giving feedback through sending a memorandum to the Council's email address, [email protected], by July 2, 2020.
Kenya has reported 5,811 Covid-19 cases, and the number is expected to rise according to the Ministry of Health. The government had ordered the closure of places of worship four months ago to curb the spread of the virus.
