This archive report was first published on 19 July 2020.
On Saturday, July 18, 2020, churches in Kisumu and Kisii reopened under new guidelines to curb the spread of coronavirus. The Sunday Standard observed that the attendance was low in many Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) churches in the region.
At Kisumu Central SDA church, the usual 1,500 members were not in attendance. Instead, only 100 people were allowed to worship per session, and they had to go through thorough screening before entering the facility. The services, which used to run from 9 am to 1 pm, were now strictly one hour per session.
According to Pastor Henry Akatch, the church had no choice but to follow the authorities' instructions. 'We have marked all the benches and numbered them to observe social distancing,' he explained.
At Roho Israel Church in Nyalenda, only nine people out of the usual 50 to 100 turned up for the service. Similarly, at Nyamasaria, only nine people attended out of the usual 50 to 100.
Acting Conference President Lenard Aencha said that the churches in Kisii did not hold services as they wanted to ensure that their congregants were safe. He stated that the church leadership would meet on Monday to review whether churches had complied with government directives before resuming services.
