Take Lives Seriously, Keep Off In-person Political Rallies: Religious Leaders in Kenya

The September 7 press conference followed a meeting of the 13-member Inter-faith Council with Kenya’s Interior Cabinet Secretary, Fred Matiang’i, and his Health counterpart, Mutahi Kagwe.

During the meeting, the Kenyan Archbishop said, members of the Council presented their “tremendous disappointment with the loss of focus in the fight against the pandemic.”

In July, the Kenyan government announced the suspension of public gatherings as a measure to control the spread of COVID-19, a directive a section of Kenyan politicians have continually defied. 

While announcing the directives, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary of Health singled out politicians, accusing them of going against COVID-19 protocol through the holding of public rallies.

The government official urged politicians to be part of the solution “instead of creating epicenters of spreading of the disease.”

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“There is no point in calling all these rallies, and then we follow with all these deaths,” Mr. Kagwe said. 

Kenya has recorded at least 241,134 cases of COVID-19, including 4,800 deaths and 229,762 recoveries.

During the September 7 press conference, Archbishop Muheria called upon Kenyans to observe COVID-19 health protocols when using Public Service Vehicles (PSV). 

“As you would not enter a matatu (PSV) without breaks, please don't enter a matatu that is overcrowded,” the Local Ordinary of Kenya’s Nyeri Archdiocese said.

He further called upon religious leaders in the country to encourage their respective faithful to be vaccinated against the pandemic. 

“We ask all religious leaders to take any opportunity to encourage our faithful to take this vaccine,” the Archbishop said, and added, “The vaccination, especially of the elderly, because the larger percentage of those who are dying are the elderly, is crucial.”

He continued, “We appeal to all religious leaders to sensitize our people that COVID-19 threat is real and we must come out to fight it.”

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.