A religious leader in Kisii County has opposed the county Finance Bill 2015, that will require churches to pay for using the Gusii Stadium for crusades.
Pastor Charles Mosomi Isaboke of Jesus Life Ministry Church says a one-week crusade would cost a church Sh21,000 in levies alone to the county government since according to the bill each day the stadium is used a church will pay Sh3,000.
Addressing journalists on Wednesday at the Kisii Cultural Hall, Mosomi said that if churches were going to be charged they will be hindered from serving their core role in society.
He was speaking after the Kisii County Assembly held the final public participation exercise at the cultural hall to factor in suggestions of residents into the bill.
“Churches play a crucial role in society and serve to complement government efforts. We are surprised that county government needs the churches to be taxed and we can’t accept that at all,” he said.
He wants churches exempted from the charge to facilitate their activities. Other religious leaders who attended the public participation forum also opposed the proposal and said government should consider exempting churches from the fee saying they are non-profit making.
The chief administration officer in Kisii county, Patrick Lumumba says it is necessary to increase ways of generating revenue for the county government to improve service delivery.