President William Ruto assured the church on Sunday that his government will not obstruct freedom of worship amidst a proposal to introduce a code of conduct for religious centers in Kenya. Speaking at a service at AIC Milimani in Nairobi, Ruto emphasized the government’s commitment to protecting the right to practice faith freely, issuing a warning to those attempting to limit these practices.
“We will make sure that we protect the freedom of worship in Kenya. We will defend the right and the freedom of worship in Kenya, and it will not be compromised in whichever manner,” he stated. “I want to remind those who are pursuing that kind of exercise that the constitution is very explicit on the freedom of worship, and there will be no limitation whatsoever on the freedom of worship in Kenya.”
Ruto further expressed that religious leaders should have the autonomy to develop their own policies regarding regulation. His remarks come in light of a proposed draft law aimed at establishing a code of conduct requiring churches to submit annual financial returns to the government. This initiative is part of efforts to address issues of religious extremism and extortion.
The draft Religious Organisations Bill, 2024, presented to Ruto on July 30, seeks to create a Religious Affairs Commission responsible for overseeing religious matters. Each religious institution would be mandated to provide the commission with financial returns, accounts, a register of members, and other necessary documentation. Failure to submit annual returns could result in a suspension of up to six months for the religious institution.
The commission will include a chairperson appointed by the President, the Attorney-General or their representative, the Treasury Principal Secretary, and the Principal Secretary for internal security or their representative. Additionally, nominees from the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya, the National Council of Churches of Kenya, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, and a joint forum of Muslim umbrella organizations will be included, along with a nominee from the Hindu Council of Kenya and the Registrar of Religious Organisations.
Per the draft law, the commission will be tasked with registering religious organizations, umbrella religious organizations and religious associations and providing oversight of religious affairs.
Further, the commission shall develop and implement a policy on religious organisations, advise the government on religious affairs, develop and publish a code of conduct for religious organizations and research matters affecting religious institutions and disseminate the findings.
“Sensitize the public on religious liberty, religious tolerance, religious extremism and abuse of the freedom of religion and belief; and the Religious Organizations Bill, 2024,” the proposal states.
The proposal has been harshly refuted by religious leaders as many have argued that it puts many religious organisations at a risk of facing closure.
