The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops has called for tighter regulations on religious organisations in the country after the death of at least 58 people in a bizarre cult in Malindi, Kilifi county.
In a statement on Monday, April 25, Rev. Martin Kivuva, the chair of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, condemned the cultic preachings of controversial Pastor Paul Mackenzie of Good News International Church said to have influenced followers of the Malindi-based church to fast to death in the hope of "meeting Jesus".
While calling for a speedy probe into the incident, Kivuva noted that it was shocking that key security organs were caught flat-footed in the mass suicide.
"We join other Kenyans in calling for speedy investigation into the circumstances leading to the heinous act that led gullible Kenyans to their untimely death. It is shocking that such a sect has been allowed to perpetuate its dangerous doctrine for such a long time, leading to loss of so many lives with the state security machinery completely unaware," Kivuva said.
Revisiting the debate on the regulation of religious societies and the dangers of self-regulation, the bishops said stricter regulations would help weed out cultic leaders who have mastered the art of exploiting gullible Kenyans in the name of religion.
"We revisit the debate on regulation of religions in the country and the resultant public outcry from Church leaders against the proposed regulation through the review of proposals in the Religious Societies Rules 2015.
"We acknowledge the challenge of self-regulation in an environment where many sects and denominations resist leadership structures and systems. It is our considered opinion that if a strong mechanism of regulating religions was in place, the long arm of the law would have stopped Pastor Mackenzie from taking advantage of Kenyans to engage in acts of mass suicide," he added.
They called for a review of the proposed state laws to ensure that rogue pastors are exposed in good time and denied opportunity to perpetuate their dangerous acts.
"Such a review should help to identify the weak legal and religious links that cult leaders have been exploiting to brainwash their unsuspecting followers," Kivuva added.
"As religious leaders, we have a responsibility to work together in analyzing the religious landscape in Kenya which could be promoting dangerous cults, partnering closely with state agencies to address any cultic tendencies before they escalate out of control."
