This archive report was first published on 10 July 2020.
As Kenya's Ministry of Health issues guidelines for the phased reopening of places of worship, churches are going to great lengths to adapt and ensure the safety of their congregations.
One of the key measures being implemented is the use of open-air services, which will allow for social distancing and minimize the risk of Covid-19 transmission.
The Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) has announced that all services will be conducted outdoors, with Nyanza Bishop Simon Onyango stating that the church will limit service duration to one hour.
Other churches, such as the African Gospel Church (AGC) in Bomet town, are staggering their services throughout the day to accommodate a limited number of worshippers.
At St Charles Lwanga Catholic Church in Mbale, Vihiga, worshippers will be required to sign a visitor's book before attending mass, and temperatures will be taken at the entrance to prevent crowding.
Churches in Kisii, Migori, and Nyamira have also obtained thermometer guns and hand sanitisers to maintain hygiene, while in Kakamega, Bishop Joseph Obanyi of the Kakamega Catholic Diocese has scheduled a meeting to come up with a programme for the services.
Some church leaders, however, are pushing for the full reopening of churches, arguing that it is discriminatory to lock out the elderly and children in the name of minimizing Covid-19 infections.
Reverend Charles Isaboke, the regional group chair of evangelical church leaders in Kisii, stated that respective church leaders should be allowed the discretion to arrange how worshippers will sit to ensure social distancing.
"We have big churches that can accommodate more than 100 and still operate within the guidelines of social distancing," he said.
"Elders play a special role in church services and should not be discriminated against," he added.
