Interior CS Fred Matiang'i on Saturday, November 2, broke religious principles when he appeared at the Civil Registry Service at Bishop's House in Nairobi, for an ongoing operation to streamline birth and death registrations.
Going about his official duties on Saturday was contrary to what his Seventh Day Adventist faith.
"I am happy to see that the transition of systems and procedures at the Bishops House CRS branch is going on smoothly. From Monday, customer experience will be on a whole new level," he stated.
Unlike most other Christian denominations, Seventh-day Adventists attend church on Saturdays. Fellow Adventist Chief Justice David Maraga told the Judicial Service Commission that his beliefs don't allow him to work on the Sabbath, unless in a matter of life and death.
“It would be very difficult for me to sit on a Saturday to hear a case. I would rather talk with my colleagues in the court to accommodate me and exempt me from sitting if the hearing extends to a Saturday,” Maraga stated.
Matiang'i is also a staunch believer and the move to inspect the crackdown on laxity in the registration of deaths and births came as a surprise.
CS Matiang'i on had promised on Friday, November 1, that he would make it a personal initiative to ensure that sanity was restored in the department of registration which had been marred with backlogs and delays in delivery.
"We have begun sanitizing the Civil Registration Bureau from the inside. This is a countrywide operation, and I'm certain it won't be long before we break the cartels so that Kenyans can enjoy the top-quality citizen services they deserve, corruption-free and without bias," Matiang'i had stated.
That same day, he saw the arrest of 24 officials from the department with a view to charging them for corruption.
