Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

Over 300 clerics under the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya joined other churches in condemning the recent bill by Tana River senator Danson Mungatana terming it punitive, unconstitutional, and exorbitant.

 The Mungatana Bill seeks to provide a legislative framework to regulate the church by introducing taxes on income, gifts, or profits generated from religious institutions. Additionally, it proposes that all churches in Kenya must be registered by the Registrar of Churches, failure to which they will face penalties.

 The leaders are now demanding for the complete withdrawal of the bill saying it is a strategy to sabotage the church.

 They also questioned the timeliness and hurriedness of the bill which was tabled to the senate by Mungatana, saying it is a serious threat to the freedom of religion in Kenya.

 “The move to table the bill took the religious leaders here and across Kenya by surprise, particularly coming after the finalization of the presidential task force on the review of the regulatory framework governing religious organizations in Kenya that went all over the country, meeting pastors and hearing their views concerning what they desired in terms of self-regulation,” said Bishop Philip Kitoto, the evangelical alliance’s chairman.

 They pointed out several key issues in the bill which they fear will affect the independence of the church and its people.

 According to Bishop Kitoto, the bill unjustly limits religious activities including evangelism and constraints religious leaders from engaging fully in their own institutions.

 “Freedom of religion is guaranteed. Article 32 of the Constitution clearly stipulates every person has a right either individually or in community with others in public or in private, to manifest any religion or belief through worship practice, teaching, or observance, including observance of a day of worship,” said Bishop Kitoto.

 He also emphasised that it duplicates existing regulations such as requirements for audited accounts and places unreasonable demands on the registrar, including an annual visitation requirements for all registered religious institutions in the country.

 The leaders have also accused the senator of contravening the constitution’s provision of public participation claiming they were not involved in any discussions prior to the development of the bill.