Members of clergy from the Pentecostal Voices of Kenya have criticised President William Ruto over the proposed Religious Organization Amendment Bill 2024, claiming that the government plans to use the Bill to curtail the church.
Speaking during a media interview on December 13, 2025, the members of clergy demanded that the Bill currently being drafted be scrapped in its totality.
The Pentecostal Voices of Kenya (PVK) says that the Bill is a strategy to silence the church and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
"They have opted to vilify the church and arbitrarily enact draconian bills and regulations that trump on the freedom of worship and muzzle the church," PVK Secretary General Habil Olembo claimed.
The Pentecostal Voices of Kenya Chairperson Peter Manyuru claimed that the government is using a lot of energy to curtail the church, urging Ruto to instead focus the energy on solving the problems facing Kenyans.
"If you can use the same force and energy that you are using to curtail the church in solving the problems of Kenyans, I want to say that Kenya would be very far," Peter Manyuru said.
The clergy now claim that the Bill seeks to threaten their constitutional freedom of worship and create a vague set of offences meant to harass religious leaders.
They further claim that the church was not involved in the formulation of the amendments of the religious Bill as stakeholders.
The church is now calling upon the government to stop silencing the church, which they say is a key society watchdog.
They also alleged that they had nothing to celebrate about Jamhuri Day when the church does not have fundamental freedom.
The Religious Organization Ammendment Bill
The Religious Organisations Ammendment Bill, 2024 was first sponsored by Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana, tabled in the Senate in 2024, but later withdrawn after public outcry.
But now the government is working on a new draft Religious Organisations Policy that is adopting the recommendations from the Presidential Task Force that was formed following the Shakahola religious massacre.
The proposed Religious Organisations Bill seeks to establish an Advisory Board housed in the Office of the Attorney General. It also seeks to appoint a Registrar of Religious Organisations.
The Bill seeks a Governance Structure in Religious Organisations, demanding a clear management structure, including a Board of Trustees, with at least two-thirds of the members being Kenyan citizens.
New religious organisations will now be required to be supported by at least 25 members of the same faith and endorsed by an Umbrella Religious Organisation.
The Bill will also seek to prohibit religious institutions from engaging in political activities to acquire power or organize debates to support a specific political party.
