Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced new recommendations to regulate church activities as part of the measures to curb the resurgence of rogue preachers.
Murkomen hinted at the new regulations in response to the recent Rongo church incident, where police officers rescued 57 people who had been locked up inside a church building.
While addressing the press on Thursday morning, the Interior Minister noted that the task force appointed by President William Ruto to review the regulatory framework governing religious organisations had already come up with viable proposals.
The task force appointed by Ruto in 2023 was mainly tasked with identifying gaps and proposing legal and governance changes to prevent religious extremism.
According to Murkomen, among the recommendations proposed by the 15-member task force led by former Mebeere South Member of Parliament Mutava Musyimi was the introduction of more stringent rules guiding the operation of churches.
He further revealed that the proposals had already been forwarded to the cabinet committee for consideration, after which they would be forwarded to the cabinet plenary and Parliament for approval.
"This is something that we must deal with. The task force appointed by the President, which is led by Mutava Musyimi, has come up with a raft of recommendations, including registration for churches," Murkomen said.
"The report has already been forwarded to the committee in the cabinet, after which it will be forwarded to the cabinet plenary, where it will be discussed and approved before finally being forwarded to the National Assembly," he added.
During the presser, Murkomen also commended police officers in Migori County for their swift response in preventing another Shakahola-like incident inside the Rongo church.
The Rongo church incident occurred on Monday, April 21, in which 2 people reportedly succumbed while 57 others were found locked up inside the St Joseph's Mission of Africa church.
A police report revealed that the 57 were rescued after they refused to receive treatment from the area hospital and instead opted for medical attention from a local preacher.
Despite being rescued, the victims declined to go home and decided to camp outside the church premises, forcing police officers to apprehend and detain them.
