This archive report was first published on 9 July 2020.
Published on July 9, 2020, a section of Nakuru church leaders have rejected the new guidelines set by the interfaith council appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta to come up with a framework on the reopening of places of worship.
The clerics, under the Nakuru Christian Elders Council, argued that limiting the age of church attendees was discriminatory. Bishop Jackson Maina, founder of Pema Victorious Churches, stated that the interfaith council made a decision from an office perspective, not based on reality.
“We totally disagree with the interfaith council for limiting church attendance to those aged between 13 and 58 years. It appears the council made a decision from an office perspective and not based on the reality,” said Bishop Jackson Maina.
He added that the reality on the ground does not agree with the council’s recommendations, citing that most churches comprise people above 58 and young children. Bishop Maina, who is 70-years-old, questioned why he should be denied a chance to attend church despite having no underlying health issues.
Dr Charles Marita, the association’s secretary, took issue with the limitation on the number of persons allowed per session, saying that some churches were big enough to accommodate beyond 100 people.
Separately, Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims Coast chairman Sheikh Muhdhar Khitamy, 68, called for a review of the guideline to allow strong elderly people, including clerics and worshipers, to attend congregational prayers in mosques and churches.
