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Beryl Odhiambo, a fourth-year Journalism and Mass Communication student at the Technical University of Mombasa (TUM), believes that the proposed Religious Organisations Bill, 2024, “should be enacted into law like yesterday.”

For her, the Bill is a much-needed remedy to curb the deceptive practices of some so-called “men of the cloth” who have turned places of worship into dens of extortion.

Beryl recalls a poignant family story: her aunt, in desperate hope, sold a cow for Sh20, 000 and handed all the money to a religious leader, expecting miraculous returns. The sacrifice was made in their Sori home in the county of Migori, and the cash was delivered in Nairobi.

“Imagine, my cousin was home due to unpaid school fees, yet my aunt couldn’t use the money from the cow to settle the fees. Instead, she gave it all to the Church, expecting it to multiply. She waited but nothing happened, and she became frustrated,” the student recounts, illustrating the con artistry that preys on vulnerable believers.

This is far from an isolated case. A renowned televangelist, laden with titles like Apostle, Pastor, and Prophet, once held a grand crusade at Iriwa Shopping Center in Wundanyi, Taita Taveta county.

He promised blessings proportional to the size of the offerings. Those who gave more expected grander miracles, but as the crusade ended three days later and the televangelist departed with pockets full, the congregants were left with empty hopes.

In response to such exploitation, President William Ruto’s Taskforce on the Review of the Legal and Regulatory Framework Governing Religious Organisations in Kenya has proposed stringent measures.

The Religious Organisations Bill, 2024, seeks to address fraudulent practices, especially those involving false miracles, healings, and financial extortion.

A key provision of the bill makes it a criminal offense for any religious leader to deceive congregants for financial gain. Offenders could face fines up to Sh5 million, 10 years in prison, or both.

This measure aims to protect individuals from manipulation by leaders who promise divine blessings in exchange for money.

The bill states; “A religious leader who, by means of 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 Sh5 million or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years or to both.”

Reactions to the bill are mixed. Evans Mwamburi, a resident of Bombolulu in Mombasa, argues, “They are tampering with people’s faith, which is wrong. Faith is sensitive and can only be governed by God and spiritual beliefs, not secular laws.”