Members of the Repentance and Holiness Church on Saturday, August 19, refuted claims that the church, associated with Prophet David Owuor has been deregistered by the government.
In a press conference held in Nairobi, the worshippers dispelled the position reported by a section of media outlets on Friday, August 18, which claimed that the church had been closed down.
In their clarification, the worshippers maintained that the deregistered King's Outreach Church, although linked to the Repentance and Holiness Church, had independently initiated the deregistration process. The deregistration they said, was pursued to consolidate operations to prevent any perception of fragmentation.
The followers also conveyed that the decision to shut down King's Outreach Church had been reached on December 3, 2022. They highlighted that the Registrar of Societies had taken long to finalise the closure of the worship centre.
"In that AGM at the end of the year 2022, it was resolved to dissolve and deregister King's Outreach Church.
"It is based on that AGM Resolution that Kings Outreach Church was deregistered and therefore the deregistration of Kings Outreach Church has nothing to do with Shakahola," said Archbishop Major Gen. (Rtd) George Kyaka.
The worshippers called out media outlets which claimed that Prophet Owuor's church was among five worship centres which were shut down by the State at a time some Kenyan churches are on the spot for indoctrinating their members.
The deregistered churches include New Life Prayer Centre and Church owned by Pastor Ezekiel Odero and Good News International Church founded by Pastor Paul Mackenzie.
Consequently, the Registrar of Societies deregistered King's Outreach Church on good standing.
However, the other four churches were struck from the list based on various controversies surrounding them.
"It is now confirmed that a section of the media is in the business of peddling lies and is quite arrogant about it. This is an utter deviation from the expectation of Media houses to be broadcasters of truth," Archbishop John Litunda stated.
The clergyman claimed that some media outlets deliberately went on overdrive to spread lies and malice against Prophet Owuor, who the Church noted is still very much in charge of activities in his worship centres.
In the meantime, worshippers in Prophet Owuor's Church will continue to worship in Repentance and Holiness Church which is one of the largest centres in East Africa and beyond.
Repentance and Holiness Church has millions of followers and hundreds of branches across the country.
