The Catholic Church, on Thursday, refused to hold a requiem mass for the slain Caroline Mwatha on grounds that she had succumbed to a botched abortion.
Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops General Secretary Father Daniel Rono revealed that the church had a strong stand against abortion and that life begins at conception.
"We as the Catholic Church do no support abortion. Life is precious and God-given. Life starts from conception," Rono told The Star.
"The sanctity of the foetus must be protected and that starts from conception. Once fertilisation occurs, that is a human being and the child must be protected to its natural death. Anyone who aborts is a murderer," added National Council of Churches' leader Reverend Nelson Makanda.
Her memorial service was, therefore, presided over by Reverend Timothy Njoya of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA).
The event, which took place at Freedom Corner in Nairobi, was attended by numerous activists and leaders who paid their last respects to the celebrated human rights activist who was based in Dandora.
Her husband, Joshua Ochieng' and parents were joined by Nairobi Women Rep Esther Passaris, former Chief Justice Dr Willy Mutunga, former Cabinet Minister Martha Karua together with Boniface Mwangi and Okiya Omtatah.
"Caroline feared for her life because of the work she did, though she never admitted receiving threats. I told her to stop the work but she insisted that was her calling," eulogised Mwatha's father Stanslaus Mbai.
Mwatha went missing in early February sparking outrage from many Kenyans only for her body to be found at City mortuary nearly a week later.
An autopsy conducted at Umash Funeral Home revealed that she died of excessive bleeding from ruptured uterus after a botched abortion.
