The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) has termed the Shakahola cult deaths as a criminal action wholly facilitated by the failure of the country’s criminal justice system to deliver its mandate.
Condemning the loss of hundreds of lives by the activities of Good News Church cleric Paul Mackenzie, who is said to have misled his followers to fast to death with a promise of meeting Jesus, the church’s umbrella body urged the government to take stern action on its security agencies and officers who slept on the job.
“We demand accountability by the government for dereliction of duty that led to the deaths of hundreds of people yet reports were made to relevant offices and agencies,” NCCK said.
NCCK General Secretary Rev Chris Kinyanjui told K24 Digital on Sunday, June 25 that the body is concerned that the government is determined to use the unfortunate Shakahola incident as an excuse to control the practice of religious freedom in the country.
“Freedom of religion is enshrined in our constitution but we as bonafide churches should self-regulate ourselves as opposed to being regulated by the government,” he said.
He noted that despite the fact that religious radicalization has been there for decades, people should be verse and wary of religious doctrines practised in respective churches lest they be recruited to ungodliness.
“Radicalism has been there for ages, for example, the doomsday religion in the West and our passionate call on our members is to join religious groups which teach the living God doctrines,” Rev Kinyanjui said.
The clergyman at the same time reiterated the need for the political class to respect the media and desist from censoring it.
He said that the media is the people’s watchdog whose absence can promote corruption, oppression, dictatorship and misrule.
“Let all respect the media. It is Kenyans messenger. Muzzling it is unfair and unconstitutional,” he said.
On climate change across the globe, NCCK hailed the government for leading in the afforestation fight terming the initiative as redemptive.
Kunyanjui observed that the prolonged dry spell followed by floods and unpredictable rains has devastated Kenyan households, leading to loss of lives and food insecurity.
He attributed these to deforestation saying that NCCK is committed to playing its afforestation part.
