Millie Odhiambo warns pastors: Stop touching women during prayers
By William Muthama, November 5, 2025Suba North Member of Parliament (MP) Millie Odhiambo has called on religious leaders to respect personal boundaries during prayers, urging pastors to stop touching women on their breasts and buttocks.
Speaking during a parliamentary session on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, Odhiambo said such conduct is inappropriate and has no spiritual value.
“Stop touching women’s breasts and buttocks during prayers. There is nothing spiritual about that. Keep a distance. The spirit will work between you and the woman with the distance,” she stated.
The MP highlighted that physical contact during prayers does not create a spiritual surge but instead causes sexual excitement.
She emphasised that spiritual guidance should occur without touching worshippers, stressing the need for professionalism, decency, and ethical conduct within religious institutions.
Odhiambo also referenced legal protections for women, noting that the Sexual Offences Act Amendment Bill criminalises touching women’s private parts.
“If that bill comes to the House and it’s made law, then I think pastors will not touch any breasts or buttocks of ladies, because that will not happen again,” she said.
The MP explained that her remarks stem from concern over practices she has observed in some churches, where pastors allegedly justify touching congregants as part of prayer.
Odhiambo stressed that women must feel safe and respected in spiritual spaces, warning that unchecked conduct erodes trust in religious leadership.
“There is no need to put a physical touch between you and a woman,” she added, emphasising that distance does not diminish the efficacy of prayer.
She called on religious leaders to lead by example, uphold dignity, and maintain ethical interactions with congregants.
By combining legal measures with public awareness, Odhiambo said, it is possible to create worship environments where women feel secure and spiritual experiences remain respectful.