If President William Ruto adopts the recommendations of a task force, any religious leader who falsely performs miracles, healings, or blessings to extort unsuspecting Kenyans will be guilty of committing an offence.
To provide clarity on the governance of religious institutions, the presidential task force on the review of the legal and regulatory framework governing religious organisations in Kenya submitted recommendations.
The 2024 Religious Organizations Bill included these proposals.
One of the strategies recommended includes hunting down religious leaders who ask their congregation to give cash to earn ‘financial favour from God’.
Those found guilty will be required to pay Ksh.5 million, ten years of imprisonment, or both.
“A religious leader who, using any false and fraudulent representations, tricks, or schemes as to healing, miracles, blessings, or prayers, extorts or fraudulently obtains any financial gain or material benefit from any person or induces the person to deliver money or property to the religious leader commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding Ksh.5 million or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years or to both,” reads part of the bill.
Furthermore, any religious leader who uses force, threats, or intimidation to coerce another person to join their religion will pay a fine not exceeding Ksh1 million, a three-year jail term, or both.
However, parents will have the legal right to choose their children’s religious upbringing.
On the other hand, anyone who uses religion to belittle another person’s religious belief and does anything that threatens their safety may face a fine of Ksh. 5 million, 20 years of imprisonment, or both.
The task force also recommended that churches should not engage in politics to gain power or organise a debate to support a political candidate.
If found guilty, the institution will be liable to pay a fine not exceeding Ksh.500,000, six months of imprisonment, or both.
In May 2023, Dr. Mutava Musyimi, the former Secretary-General of the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), formed a task force to identify and seal loopholes that may have allowed the growth of religious cults in societies. Dr. Mutava Musyimi, the former Secretary-General of the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), led the task force.
This was in response to the Shakahola tragedy, which saw over 400 bodies exhumed from the forest linked to pastor Paul Mackenzie.
