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A church in Kiambu county yesterday defied Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe’s directive that all places of worship remain closed until further notice as part of the measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Mountain of God’s Power church in Thika town held a service, in disregard of the directive issued by the CS on Sunday after announcing the cases in the country had risen to 15 cases.

Biashara location chief Simon Kamau, who led the operation that closed the church, warned that no one would be allowed to defy government directives.

“We have gone round sensitising  Thika people on the need to heed the directives and while a section of locals have complied, most are still defiant. Today was just about informing them but we will start enforcing the rules and making arrests from tomorrow,” Kamau said.

The worshipers apologised for contravening the government’s directive, claiming they had not been informed.

Officials of Covenant Clergy Alliance, which is headed by preacher and real estate dealer David Ngari, alias Gakuyo, said they will abide by all measures aimed at stopping the spread of coronavirus.

Ngari said the move to suspend religious gatherings was timely in the fight against Covid-19 and asked all Kenyans to follow instructions by government as the consequences of failing to do so would be grave.

Similarly, Fr Raphael Mangiti of St Bernadette Catholic Church Ngoingwa, said the clergy will be communicating with worshipers on the need to stay at home as directed by the government.

He said Kenya should not wait to go the Italy way and the earlier restrictions were adhered to the better for the country.

The ban on religious gatherings took effect in Mombasa with mosques, churches and other places of worship adhering to the ban.

Pray hard

Instead, many of the mosques we visited during the midday prayers had the normal adhaan recited asking the faithful to pray at home and not visit the mosques.

Adhaan is the Islamic call to prayer, recited by the preacher at prescribed time of the day.

According to Ustadh Shaaban Abdu Musa of Masjid Rauba in Kongowea, nobody was allowed to pray inside the mosque.

“We have about 1,000 faithful in this mosque but we have announced to them that they should pray at home and they have obeyed. We have also asked them to pray hard for the situation to normalise. This is the first time in history that the mosque has been closed,” said Shaaban.

Luqman Mahmoud, a worshiper at the Masjid Kadiria in Kongowea said he undertook his midday prayers at home.

“We followed the government directive that we should pray at home. Our preacher made an announcement to us through the mosque loud speakers requesting us to pray in our houses and we have adhered to that,” said Mahmoud.

The Muslim community in Kisumu has also abided by government’s order and directed the closure of all 52 mosques in the county. Religious classes have also been suspended.

In the North Rift region, religious leaders have resolved to comply with the government’s ban on social gatherings to help tame the spread of coronavirus pandemic.

Bishop Wilson Kurui of Jesus Love Ministry said they had urged members to pray at home on Sunday.

“We would have wished the government to put a limit on the number of worshipers in church instead of ordering a total shutdown of the house of God,” said Kurui.

Bishop Dominic Kimengich of Eldoret Catholic Diocese said they had no option but adhere to the government’s order as part of the measures to fight the spread of the virus.

Protect Kenyans

The Bishop of Anglican Church of Kenya Eldoret Diocese Christopher Ruto said they had suspended all church-related functions following the government’s directive.

Abubakar Bin, the chairman of Council of Imam Preachers of Kenya North Rift region, criticised religious leaders and congregations who have defied the government’s order.

Deliverance Church Kisumu has closed doors to worshipers in compliance with the directive by the State. 

Reverend Dickson Otigo said the church had no problem with the decision as it is meant to protect Kenyans. —By Mathew Ndung’u, Oliver Musembi, Winstone Chiseremi, Harrison Kivisu and James Magayi