A cleric has hailed the government over its proposal to regulate the Church saying it is the right move given recent trends in the ministry.
Rev Fr John Pesa of Coptic Holy Ghost Church said the government made the right move to audit the church.
The cleric said explosion of churches in the country is not good for the ministry, adding that many new churches with questionable repute have come up with dubious ways to collect money from members.
“Some of these new churches are out to make money. They have little regard for the financial abilities of their faithful. Instead of supporting the vulnerable, they take from those including widows and orphans,” he said.
However, he said the government was wrong to restrict educational standards of pastors saying there are good preachers out there who do not have diplomas and degrees as proposed in the new law.
“The timing is however not right. I wish the government through the Attorney General could postpone implementation of the new law until after elections because as it is, issues will arise which may not be good for the country. Some people will even politicise the issue,” added the cleric.
Earlier, his counterparts from the region had opposed the proposed laws saying they are against the constitution’s Section Four under the Bill of Rights which allow for freedom of worship.
Nyanza Council of Church Leaders chairman Arch-Bishop Washington Ogonyo Ngede said the church is a spiritual movement that needs to be guided through spiritual leaders and not government through the AG’s office.
The arch-bishop said the proposed law is meant to oppress the church.
He argued stakeholders should have been consulted before the proposed laws was made public.
“Members of the clergy should be ready to face consequences of their actions when found guilty of offences punishable by law but such will not be generalized and blamed on other churches," he added.
The proposed law is expected to come into force at the end of this month. The government has however extended an olive branch to church officials saying it is open and ready to discuss the law before it is implemented.