President Ruto (left) receives the report from the Presidential Taskforce on the Review of the Legal and Regulatory Framework Governing Religious Organisations at State House in Nairobi. IMAGE: William Ruto
In Summary:
1) Religious leaders who falsely perform miracles to extort money face a Ksh.5 million fine or ten years in prison.
2) The bill aims to regulate religious organizations and prevent exploitative practices.
A new bill proposes strict penalties for religious leaders who exploit Kenyans by falsely performing miracles, healings, or blessings.
The Religious Organisations Bill, 2024, includes recommendations from a task force formed by President William Ruto to review the legal framework governing religious organizations in Kenya.
Under the proposed legislation, religious leaders who ask their congregation for cash in exchange for ‘financial favor from God’ will be committing an offense.
Those found guilty could face a fine of up to Ksh.5 million, a ten-year prison sentence, or both.
“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 Ksh.5 million or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years or to both,” states the bill.
Additionally, religious leaders who use force, threats, or intimidation to coerce individuals into joining their religion will face a fine of up to Ksh.1 million, a three-year prison term, or both.
Parents will still have the legal right to determine their children’s religious upbringing.
The bill also addresses the use of religion to belittle others’ beliefs or threaten their safety, imposing a penalty of Ksh.5 million, 20 years imprisonment, or both for such actions.
The task force recommended that churches refrain from engaging in politics or supporting political candidates. Violations could result in a fine of up to Ksh.500,000, six months in prison, or both.
The task force, led by former National Council Of Churches Of Kenya (NCCK) Secretary-General Dr. Mutava Musyimi, was established in May 2023 in response to the Shakahola tragedy, where over 400 bodies linked to pastor Paul Mackenzie were exhumed from a forest.
The task force aims to close loopholes that have allowed the rise of religious cults in society.