When Religion Meets The Law

At the break of dawn on 4th August 2010, Kenyans took to the poll for a referendum on what would be historically a new beginning. A whopping 67% voted for the new constitution which was promulgated on 27th August. What is memorable in the run up for the referendum however, is the Church’s stand on opposing the proposed law.

The Church had raised concerns over a number of issues including the clause permitting abortion and the distortion of the right to religion. It is however the latter that has come to haunt the clergymen in recent times. They have found themselves grappling with outrageous rules by the attorney general and at times facing arrests for acting on their beliefs.

Most recently, Sr Cecilia Kamau was arrested on May 23, 2016 for barring public health officers from administering measles and rubella vaccines to pupils of St Anthony Academy in Nakuru. In her defense, the Catholic Church had raised concerns over the manner in which the vaccination was being carried out and also questioned the prescription. However, more than 48 hours after her arrest, the nun was yet to be arraigned in court. The clergymen came out to condemn the actions of the County Public Health Officer Samuel Kingori.

A closer look at the Right to religion reveals that the independence constitution provided the freedom of religion under section 78 where it quoted the following :-

Protection of freedom of conscience.

  1. Except with his own consent, no person shall be hindered in the enjoyment of his freedom of conscience, and for the purposes of this section that freedom includes freedom of thought and of religion, freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others, and both in public and in private, to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.
  2. Every religious community shall be entitled, at its own expense, to establish and maintain places of education and to manage a place of education which it wholly maintains; and no such community shall be prevented from providing religious instruction for persons of that community in the course of any education provided at a place of education which it wholly maintains or in the course of any education which it otherwise provides.
  3. Except with his own consent (or, if he is a minor, the consent of his guardian), no person attending a place of education shall be required to receive religious instruction or to take part in or attend a religious ceremony or observance if that instruction, ceremony or observance relates to a religion other than his own.
  4. No person shall be compelled to take an oath which is contrary to his religion or belief or to take an oath in a manner which is contrary to his religion or belief.
  5. Nothing contained in or done under the authority of any law shall be held to be inconsistent with or in contravention of this section to the extent that the law in question makes provision which is reasonably required:-
    1. in the interests of defence, public safety, public order, public morality or public health; or
    2. for the purpose of protecting the rights and freedoms of other persons, including the right to observe and practise a religion without the unsolicited intervention of members of another religion, and except so far as that provision or, as the case may be, the thing done under the authority thereof is shown not to be reasonably justifiable in a democratic society.
  6. References in this section to a religion shall be construed as including references to a religious denomination, and cognate expressions shall be construed accordingly.

In contrast the constitution of Kenya 2010 provides for the freedom of conscience, religion, thought and opinion under article 32 as follows :-

  1. Every person has the right to freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief and opinion.
  2. Every person has the right, either individually or in community with others, in public or in private, to manifest any religion or belief through worship, practice, teaching or observance, including observance of a day of worship.
  3. A person may not be denied access to any institution, employment or facility, or the enjoyment of any right, because of the person's belief or religion.
  4. A person shall not be compelled to act, or engage in any act, that is contrary to the person's belief or religion.

Scholars argue that the provisions are technically the same while the religious leaders point at the omission of the word “propagate” and the inadvertent lack of protection in institutions.

In a nutshell, the new constitution does not guarantee a person the right to preach his religion to another. Unlike the old constitution, the freedom of religion is not expressly provided for in institutions. These have seen clergymen being arrested for public nuisance and students filing constitutional petitions on the practice of their religious beliefs in learning institution.

Basically the persecution of God’s ministry may be viewed as a distant factor as was in the case of Pastor Saaed but even the greatest atrocities started with minor glitches. There is an obvious need for reforms in the legal framework with regards to religion. Article 8 of the constitution states explicitly that there is no state religion but even then the acknowledgement of God almighty is enshrined in its preamble

Kenya to Join the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation

kenya to join OIC

Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich has announced plans to formally introduce Sharia Compliant Islamic Financing in Kenya. Speaking at the International Islamic Finance Conference Africa (IIFCA) which was held in Nairobi on the 25th of January, the Cabinet Secretary said that the government planned to introduce legislation that will allow for Islamic Financing. Islamic Financing refers to a system of banking activities that are consistent with Islamic Sharia Law. It prohibits the charging of interest on loans, fixed deposits and mortgages. Mr. Rotich said that with major infrastructure developments coming up, the government was looking to access the cheaper loans available under Islamic Financing Model. It is estimated that Islamic Finance has about $2.1 Trillion in banking assets.
The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) is a multilateral development financing institution that operates like a world bank for its member states. It offers loans and sukuk (Islamic Bonds) that have been structured in such a way that makes them compliant to Islamic Sharia Law. A country has to be a member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to be able to get financing from the IDB. Consequently, Mr. Rotich announced that the government has began the process of adding Kenya to the OIC group of countries.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation is an International Organization that was founded in 1969. It currently has 57 member states, 27 of which are in Africa. The OIC has permanent delegations to the United Nations and the European Union. According to its Charter, the OIC aims to preserve Islamic Social and Economic values and to promote solidarity between member states. The Charter also speaks of promoting and preserving Islamic teaching, promoting Islamic Culture and defending the true image of Islam. This has a number of consequences for its Member States. For example in 2013, the previous Secretary General of the OIC, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu announced that the foreign ministers of member states would meet and discuss the possibility of cutting ties with any State that recognizes Jerusalem as the Capital City of Israel.

 

Paying close attention to the OIC Charter, it is clear that their agenda is to spread and consolidate Islam. Kenya is not an Islamic country. We need to ask ourselves, years down the line, what would be the consequence of joining the OIC? Would we get to a point where we need to concede some of our sovereignty in order to align with Islamic Principles? After taking money from the OIC group, how much wiggle room would the country have to say no if demands were made that the majority of the nation don't agree with? The OIC came to be in 1969 after an Arab coalition lost the Six Day War to Israel. Saudi Arabia wanted to unify Muslim and Arab states in what they called the "struggle for Islam". Deeply entrenched in their goals is to "Liberate Jerusalem" and to "support the struggle of the Palestinian People". Islamic Sharia Finance is a new weapon being used in the "struggle for Islam" whose end goal is to impose a worldwide submission to Islam. In line with this, there is evidence that the IDB has been channelling funds to groups such as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. The IDB is meant to be a development bank, and between 1975 and 2005, it released $50 billion in funding to Muslim Countries, but little regional economic impact can be felt in those countries.
This feels like we are simply selling our souls to the highest bidder. We might realise too late that we have paid too high a price for access to cheap loans.

Christian Leader's Consultative Forum Press Statement on Garissa

Christian-Leaders-Garissa-Statement

CHRISTIAN LEADERS' CONSULTATIVE FORUM
Press Statement:
Standing With The Christian Faith

1. Preamble:

We church leaders from various Christian organizations have today met here at Jumuia Place to review and chart the way forward in view of the incessant and well orchestrated campaign against the Christian faithful in the country that has been blamed on terrorism.
During this forum, we have deeply reflected on these attacks and taken note of the glaring lack of coordination and commitment within the government to deal with terror. We also took time to review the blatant violation of the rights of Christians to life itself and enshrined religious freedoms. We therefore would like to share the following message with the nation.

2. Condolences Following Garissa Attack

We wish to restate our messages of condolence shared with the bereaved families and friends who lost their loved ones following the cowardly terror attack on young and innocent lives at the University of Garissa. We continue to pray and mourn with our brothers and sisters who were affected, even as we condemn those responsible. We also remember the family of the student who died and those injured during the recent stampede at Kikuyu Campus over terror scare.
It is our prayer that the families may find solace in the biblical words of Revelation 21:4 - "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

3. Message To Christians

The Church leaders and Christians in general consider the people killed in Garissa on account of Christianity as Martyrs. And as such, a memorial monument should be built in Garissa and other places with the names of those killed in their honor.

4. String of Attacks on Christians

Having reviewed the available data since the first terror incident in Kenya in 1975, to the latest mass murder in Garissa two weeks ago, this meeting noted with concern the startling number of innocent lives that have been lost in the hands of terror groups.
Whereas those behind these attacks were seen as enemies without an outright agenda who only thrived on inflicting pain to their perceived enemies, the latest trend that has focused on Christians on a scale we have never seen before.It is not lost on us that during the 2013 attack on Westgate Mall, the attackers left no doubt who their targets were while executing their brutal mission. The same fashion was repeated during the 2014 Mandera bus attack and recently the Garissa University attack.
These statistics are in addition to the numerous attacks on churches where tens of people were killed and others maimed.
In all these scenarios, believers in Jesus Christ have clearly been the targets for death and maiming. It is naïve for anyone to imply that the so-called terrorism in Kenya is anything other than jihad against Christians.

5. Message to Muslims and Their Leaders

We have noted that all the attacks have been committed by people professing the Islamic faith. For many years, Christians in Kenya have offered a hand of fellowship to our Muslim brothers and sisters. We have been forthright and rational in our approach to inter-religious issues through our various structures. Major areas of collaboration have been in peace work and security in the country and the partnerships were fostered to withstand the radicalisation of Muslim youth. However, there has been a marked lack of commitment by the Muslim leadership to addressing the challenges in a forthright manner. The recent self imposed ultimatum by the Moslem political leadership to expose those with links to the Al Shabbab and other terror groups is a clear indication that they know more than what they are actually willing to reveal.
It is especially not lost on us that after a spate of grenade attacks around Eastleigh and neighbouring estates a year ago, the same leaders publicly told the bombers to go throw the explosives elsewhere, and the attacks ended.
This meeting further questions the timing of their stated position, especially coming after an attack of such magnitude. We therefore demand that North Eastern politicians under the leadership of Adan Duale, quickly avail to government the information they have on Garissa massacre and terror networks in the country if they are honest and mean what they say during their public pronouncements. Failure to do so can only mean that they are conspirators who hide under the veil of religion and political offices, who should be personally addressed for their culpability.

6. Message to the Government

Publicly available information indicates that the government had prior knowledge and intelligence of an imminent attack on the university before the unfortunate incident and massive loss of lives in Garissa happened. Various foreign missions in the country have corroborated the same and indicated that there was sufficient intelligence that was shared with government prior to the attack. The government on its part denies these revelations.
Regardless of the truth, the past performance of the government has time and again failed to take action to guarantee Kenyans and especially Christians of their security. We ask
the government to form a Commission of Inquiry into Garissa massacre, to determine how security agencies allowed such massive loss of life. We ask the president to review his intelligence gathering system and take appropriate action to redeem our homeland security.
How possible is it that only four security officers were assigned to the institution despite being a soft target in the most volatile regions in the country?

7. Proposed Amnesty for Radicalised Youth

While we appreciate the Amnesty extended by the government, to the those denouncing association with Al-Shabbab and radicalism and extremism, it should never be blanket, a framework of admission and conditionality set to avoid abuse and misuse. We need to remember that these youths being spoken about here willingly absorbed messages inciting them to kill Kenyans, they took the attendant oaths, and have in the past committed attacks in line with that radicalization. Any blanket amnesty is ridiculous and an affirmation that the government is officially abetting terrorism..
It is the greatest betrayal to Kenyans to ask us to accept avowed killers amongst us who have not gone through any demobilisation processes nor repented of their sins and crimes. The blanket amnesty does not even require them to denounce and reveal what the radicalisation entailed or who did it. Who is the government trying to protect? We believe that the government must take responsibility for atrocities committed to the people of Kenya through terrorism.
In this regard, we wish to remind the President that he has a constitutional mandate to protect the people of Kenya, who expect nothing short of that. Christians expect nothing short of quick arrest, prosecution and jailing of terror suspects irrespective of the offices they occupy in public or society.
We further remind the President that security and in particular homeland security is a highly sensitive issue and a priority to any sovereign nation. Given the frequent attacks and open persecution of Christians, the community is now wondering who the Kenyan government is for. Christians are looking for leadership that speaks to their plight and the president should demonstrate to Kenyans that he is actually in charge of the country and ready to protect all.

8. Conclusion

Christians have over the years been targeted for killing and maiming in the name of terrorism. We have often turned the other cheek, but now the cheeks have run out. The government must move with speed to definitively and openly punish the perpetrators of these attacks before Kenyans take the law in their own hands and foment an endless religious war that could expose many law abiding Moslems and Christians. In this regard, the government must make terrorism and radicalisation very expensive, so expensive that no family will condone their children engaging in it. No leader, regardless of the position they hold, should be allowed to support terrorism and still live outside the confines of prison.

Signed at Jumuia Place on this day of 15th April 2015 by Church leaders.

The Press Statement was made by Church leaders and Christian
Para-Church organization after a consultative meeting that was held in response to the recent killings of
Christians in Garissa. The Church and Para-Church Leaders were drawn from Evangelical, NCCK, Catholic,
Baptist, AEE, FOCUS, and participants had come from various areas in Kenya.

 

The World Evangelical Alliance Statement on Garissa

WEA-Statement-Garissa

STATEMENT OF THE RELIGOUS LIBERTY COMMISSION OF THE WORLD EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE

Let's Eradicate Terrorism in Response to Killing of Christian Students in Kenya

We condemn the cowardly, senseless, inhuman, targeted killing of innocent Christian students at Kenya's Garissa University College by masked gunmen from the Al-Shabaab terror group this week. But let's not stop there, and see this attack as the last straw.

We were at a loss of words as we heard the news of attackers with explosives and AK-47s targeting a campus site where Christians had gone to pray on Thursday. This deep sorrow should now impel us to defeat terrorism in Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere.

"We cannot look at terrorism in isolation, be it Kenya or Somalia or Iraq or Syria," WEA-RLC Executive Director Godfrey Yogarajah said. "Al-Shabaab, which claimed responsibility for the shameless killing, as well as groups like al-Qaeda, Islamic State (ISIS) and Boko Haram are transnational terror groups or aspire to become one, and appear to be either cooperating or competing with each other in revealing their evil intent."

Kenya shares a long, porous border (435 miles) with Somalia and has long suffered from instability in its neighborhood. Kenya also has several coastal towns, which can facilitate movements of terrorists from Somalia. Al-Shabaab controls southern parts of Somalia, where the common border exists.

Al Shabaab has a Kenyan affiliate, called al Hijra, which exploits perceptions among sections of Muslims about their marginalization by the primarily Christian administration of President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Al-Shabaab has been seeking to retaliate for Kenya's decision to send troops to Somalia in 2011 to fight the terror group. It is estimated that Al-Shabaab killed at least 400 people and injured over 1,000 in more than 100 attacks between 2011 and 2014.

The same terror group also attacked Nairobi's Westgate Mall on Sept. 21, 2013, leaving at least 68 dead and 175 wounded. This week's attack was even more brutal.

"It's an unfortunate race among terror groups to cause destruction of human lives to maintain their relevance at a time when ISIS is causing unprecedented bloodshed. This trend demands that the international coalition fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria should expand their mission to include other terror groups as their targets – of course, not with airstrikes or troops on the ground," Yogarajah added. "World leaders should join hands to defeat terrorism by cooperating with each other and treating the end of terrorism in every country as a common objective."

The United States gives millions of dollars as military and financial aid to Kenya to help fight terrorism, and can, therefore, have a say in how Kenya counters the threat from Al-Shabaab. And Kenya seems to be going the wrong way.

Kenya must be told to make changes in its counterterrorism strategy, which currently appears to be mere pursuit of heavy-handedness. The alleged targeting civil society, curbing civil freedoms, extra-judicial killings and abductions and random raids in Muslim areas will not only not help, but may also make the country a fertile ground for radicalization and recruitment for terror groups.

"The international community and world leaders working towards peace and stability in all terror-torn regions and helping governments fight all terror groups could be the best way forward," Yogarajah said.

"We, as Christians, believe in the power of prayer, and we must be on our knees for the victims and survivors and the governments and the international organizations that are committed to sincerely help eradicate terrorism."

For further information please contact Godfrey Yogarajah, Executive Director, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or visit http://www.worldevangelicals.org/commissions/rlc/

The Religious Liberty Commission is monitoring the religious liberty situation in more than 100 nations, defending persecuted Christians, informing the global church, challenging the Church to pray ( www.idop.org ) and giving all possible assistance to those who are suffering. The Commission also makes fact-finding trips and meets with governments and ambassadors speaking up for the suffering brothers and sisters. At the United Nations, the Commission reports about the situation and arranges special hearings with Christians from countries under pressure.

 

 

EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE OF KENYA (EAK) PRESS RELEASE ON GARISSA

EAK-Presser

EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE OF KENYA (EAK) PRESS RELEASE ON GARISSA: (Issued 3rd April 2015)

Thursday, 2nd April, 2015 was a very sad day for Kenya, as 147 Christians, were massacred, and 79 others injured and are recuperating in various hospitals, as a result of yesterday's horrific attack carried out by Al-Shabaab at Garissa University College.
The Evangelical Alliance of Kenya (EAK) condemns, in the strongest term possible this shooting and killing of innocent students, and we echo the voices of other leaders and categorically state that this is unacceptable.

We condole with the families of those who have lost their loved ones, their sons, daughters, relatives. Our prayers are with them during this very difficult period of their lives and we pray that God will comfort them. We also send our condolences to students of the Garissa University College, who lost their friends and colleagues during the unfortunate and regrettable incident. We share your pain and tears. For those who are injured and recuperating in hospitals, we pray that God give you a quick recovery.

We would like to appreciate the swift action of the security forces in responding to the attack and the manner in which they coordinated the rescue of the students that were held hostage. This helped to reduce the death toll.

We are calling on Government to enhance security by employing more resources and security personnel in order to provide adequate security to its citizenry. We are also requesting that there should be enough funding for the security apparatus in our nation, for the acquisition of modern technology and the gathering and dissemination of intelligence and for appropriate training of security personnel, which will enable them deal with terrorism attacks and other threats to Kenya.

As Evangelicals and as Christians at large, this attack has come when we are celebrating and remembering the death and resurrection of our Saviour Jesus Christ. This is yet another blow to the Christians in Kenya, as we have learn that the students massacred were killed because of their faith. Christians and Churches have been targeted by Islamic extremist groups for some years now, we are therefore asking the Government to reassure us of safety and to beef up security in Churches and other places of worship, especially during this Easter Season.

We call on all Kenyans to be calm, and ask them to keep hope alive, for a better day in Kenya is dawning. To all God fearing Kenyans, and Christians at large, to earnestly pray for our nation during this Easter season. EAK will be calling for a National day of Prayer in the next two weeks and date will be communicated later.

GOD BLESS KENYA

Bishop Mark Kariuki

EAK – Board Chair

Christians Under Attack In Mombasa

churches-under-attack-in-mombasa

Mombasa residents were left in shock and confusion when gunmen attacked a church in the Majengo area. The residents of Majengo are now living in fear after an associate pastor of a Local Church, the Maximum Revival Ministries, was killed by unknown gunmen as he entered the church on Sunday, 11th January 2014. Pastor George Karidhimba was shot at severally from the back, causing him to die instantly. Police reports reveal that the gunmen intended to attack the congregation, but this was fortunately interrupted when police manning the church compound responded by firing back at the attackers.
Although the police launched investigations to find out who the gunmen were, the attack has birthed fresh fears of insecurity and possible religious persecution in the area. This attack came soon after the festive season, a period during which the security in Mombasa and Nairobi had been tightened to ensure that such attacks do not occur.
In the past, the Majengo area has been highly volatile because it has been a target of radical Muslim militants retaliating against police raids in the on-going war against terror. Last year, the Kenya Police had raided various mosques in Mombasa as they tried to purge the city of radical youth sympathizers. Various weapons including grenades were recovered. Approximately 250 youth were arrested and one person killed during that operation. The residents of Majengo have previously received threats from Al-Shabaab supporters who have threatened to kill pastors in retaliation for the deaths of their Sheikhs.
Following this incident, a directive from the police to have all churches and areas of worship under surveillance by both uniformed and civilian clothed offices to avert criminal attacks has been passed. Churches in the area have also recruited youths to help provide security. The church, Maximum Revival Ministries has since changed venue for their services citing worsening security in the area and the trauma that their members faced during the gun attack.
Recently, the government has proposed tough security laws aimed at ensuring that all terror attacks are stopped and that all Kenyans can feel safe at all times. However the Security Laws Amendment Bill, 2014 has proved to be controversial with many claiming that in its current state, it might infringe on Human Rights, resulting in pulling the country backwards rather than making progress.
Also, the escalating situation in Nigeria with Boko Haram, the Islamic Militia intent on starting a religious war, may have played a part in forcing the Kenyan Government to come up with these laws that have been aimed at averting all kinds terror attacks.
Kenyans have been asked to be vigilant at all times and to alert the police of any suspicious activities around them in order to help ensure their safety.

Religion Question on War on Terror

Religious-Quesstion-in-Terror-War

By Rev. Dr David Oginde

Reports from the recent Garissa University massacre indicate that Christians were a special target. Indeed, all 22 Christian Union members who had gathered in a hall for morning prayers were the first to be killed.
In the rest of the attack, non-Muslims had to prove their faith by reciting Shahada, a proclamation by new Muslim converts, failure to which they were shot dead. Meanwhile, Muslim students were spared.

Nearly a year ago, a Sunday service was brought to an abrupt end when terrorists stormed a church in Mombasa and killed worshipers indiscriminately. In the Westgate, Mpeketoni and Mandera attacks, non-Muslims were singled out for murder. Thus the key question is the religious motivation behind the terrorist attacks.

Though the matter has often been hushed for fear of stoking religious animosity, perpetrators of terrorism have never been afraid or cautious about identifying themselves with a specific religion. Unfortunately, the often repeated line in such circumstances, especially by government and Muslim leaders, is that the perpetrators of these evils are criminals out to tarnish the reputation of an otherwise peaceful religion.

This argument unfortunately is sounding increasingly hollow and fast losing currency. Church leaders are hard put to explain to their followers why they appear so helpless in the face of persistent attacks. It is becoming increasingly difficult for families who have lost loved ones to be comforted by the same old rhetoric. It follows therefore that we can no longer bury our heads in the sand and not confront the religious question in the war on terror.

Writing in the Washington Times, General Michael Hayden — former director of the CIA and the National Security Agency — reasons that we must be careful not to unfairly brand or alienate all of Islam or all Muslims. He, however, argues that "we risk confusing ourselves if we ignore the religious and ideological roots that some [terrorists] use to justify their violence against us."
According to General Hayden, the current spate of global terrorism comprises at least three struggles with roots in the Middle East. But the common thread across all three is Islam. There is the intra-Sunni battle in which ISIS, a fundamentalists Suni group is intent on creating an Islamic caliphate to replace the current Muslim states.

Then there is the Sunni-Shia conflict which pits the Shia states such as Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon against the Sunni monarchies and states like Egypt. The third is an ideological conflict between Islam and the West.
Some believe this last battle is founded on deep hatred for all that is Western. It is a hatred primarily directed at Israel and all their global allies — real or imagined. It has thus singled out America, Europe and almost all that is civilised. The battle is further premised on the false notion that Christianity is an arm of Western oppression and prejudices. The Church is seen as an extension of Western ideology that must be conquered.

In this region, for example, Al-Shabaab is our thorn in the flesh. It is believed this group has links and financing from Osama Bin Laden's Al Qaeda. It is believed Osama became deeply enraged when in 1991, King Fahd allowed American forces, with their rock music and Christian and Jewish troops, to wage the Gulf War from his homeland Saudi Arabia. Bin Laden thus configured the Al Qaeda network with one underlying purpose: launching and leading a holy war against Western infidels. Unfortunately, in this construction, the Church is considered part of the Western ideological framework. This partly explains the targeting of the Church. What can we do?
In a recent speech by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt, he told Muslim scholars at Al-Azhar University that they must work in concert to correct and discredit the gross misinterpretations of Islamic scripture by the jihadists. We too need to seriously engage Muslim leaders, scholars, and the community at large to craft a narrative that can stem the radicalisation of our youth.

It is time Kenyan Muslims came out, not just in condemnation of attacks, but in a long term education of children and youth so that they do not fall easy prey to extremists. Because unless concerted efforts are taken, this nation is headed towards a religious war...a very frightening prospect indeed.

Rev. Dr David Oginde is the Presiding Bishop of Christ is the Answer Ministries

Ignore the Church at your own risk. The vaccine is deadly.

ignore-church

Tetanus is an incurable disease that infects the body through broken skin or wounds. The umbilical cord stamp of newborn babies is a possible entry point and makes them especially susceptible. It is best prevented through immunization with the tetanus toxoid (TT) vaccine.

We would like to assure the public that the normal vaccines available in both public and faith based organization in this country are clean. Generally speaking, the faith based medical facilities give the same if not more vaccinations than public institutions.

Our concern and the subject of this discussion is the WHO/UNICEF sponsored tetanus immunization campaign launched last year in October ostensibly to eradicate neonatal tetanus. It is targeted at girls and women between the ages of 14 – 49 (child bearing age) and in 60 specific districts spread all around the country. The tetanus vaccine being used in this campaign has been imported into the country specifically for this purpose and bears a different batch number from the regular TT. So far, 3 doses have been given – the first in October 2013, the second in March 2014 and the third in October 2014. It is highly possible that there are two more doses to go.

Giving five doses of tetanus vaccination every 6 months is not usual or the recommend regime for tetanus vaccination. The only time tetanus vaccine has been given in five doses is when it is used as a carrier in fertility regulating vaccines laced with the pregnancy hormone - Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) developed by WHO in 1992.

When tetanus is laced with HCG and administered in five doses every 6 months, the woman develops antibodies against both the tetanus and the HCG in 2 – 3 years after the last injection. Once a mother develops antibodies against HCG, she rejects any pregnancy as soon as it starts growing in her womb thus causing repeated abortions and subsequent sterility.

WHO conducted massive vaccinations campaigns using the tetanus vaccine laced with HCG in Mexico in 1993 and Nicaragua and Philippines in 1994 ostensibly to eradicate neonatal tetanus. The campaign targeted women aged 14 – 49 years and each received a total of 5 injections.

What is downright immoral and evil is that the tetanus laced with HCG was given as a fertility regulating vaccine without disclosing its 'contraceptive effect' to the girls and the mothers. As far as they were concerned, they had gone for an innocent injection to prevent neonatal tetanus!

Considering the similarity of the WHO tetanus vaccination exercise in South American with the Kenyan camping and with the background knowledge of WHO's underhand population control initiatives, the Kenya Catholic Doctors Association brought the matter to the attention of the Bishops and together sort audience with the Ministry of Health with only one request; that the tetanus vaccine being used in this campaign be tested to ensure it was not laced with HCG before the 2nd round of immunizations in March. The Ministry of Health declined to have the vaccine tested.

With great difficulty, the Kenya Catholic Doctors Association managed to access the tetanus vaccine used during the WHO immunizationcampaign in March 2014 and subjected them to testing. The unfortunate truth is that the vaccine was laced with HCG. This proved right our worst fears; that this WHO campaign is not about eradicating neonatal tetanus but a well-coordinated forceful population controlmass sterilization exercise using a proven fertility regulating vaccine. This evidence was presented to the Ministry of Health before the third round of immunization but was ignored.

When challenged in South America in the early 1990's about the tetanus vaccine used in their camping being laced with HCG, WHO brushed off the claims as unfounded and asked for proof. When proof was provided by the Catholic based bodies in those countries, WHO claimed that the other components of the vaccine production process may have caused false positive results. When pushed further, they accepted that a few vaccines may have been contaminated with HCG during the production process. However, HCG is not a component nor is it used in the production of any vaccine let alone tetanus! It was only after antibodies against HCG were demonstrated in the women who were immunized with the laced tetanus vaccine that the matter was sealed. The immunized women have suffered multiple abortions and some have remained sterile. Do we have to wait until this point before action is taken?

Though the Bishops are medically lay people, they have technical advisory teams of competent specialists from every discipline, including medicine. These teams are both local and international as the Catholic Church is global. The Catholic based and run health institutions form the largest private health network in the country and have been rendering medical services to Kenyans for over 100 years! Thus, when the Bishops speak on topical issue like the tetanus vaccination, they are talking from a point of knowledge and authority. It would be foolhardy to disregard their advice.

We have performed our moral and civic duty of speaking the truth and alerting the government and the people of Kenya. It is now up to each individual Kenyan to make an informed choice.

Kindly goggle "Fertility regulating vaccines" and "Are New Vaccines Laced With Birth-Control Drugs?" for further insight.

For and on behalf of the Kenya Catholic Doctors Association.

Religious Persecution in Uganda

religious-persecution-uganda

Uganda, an East African country is known as the world's second most populous landlocked country with about 84% of this population being Christians. The Muslims, who are primarily Sunni, represent 12% of the population. However despite the statistics, it is rather unfortunate to learn that there are cases of persecution in this country. There have been threats from terrorist groups like the Al-shabab who according to reports, threatened churches that they would be attacked. This happening in Uganda came after situation in neighboring countries for instance in Kenya, South Sudan, Somalia, and even in Tanzania, where there had been repeated attacks on churches.
In Uganda there have been reports of Christian converts being killed and others ex-communicated by their loved ones. For instance, a 15 year old girl is reported to have died after being beaten by her Muslim father who is also a known Imam of Bwita mosque in Kaliro District. The man is reported to have reacted to the news that his two daughters had converted to Christianity. The second daughter who is 12 years old is said to be in hospital recuperating after surviving the ordeal. Even though the father, Abdulah Ali was arrested and charged with murder, he was later released bail after denying the charge claiming that his daughter died in a motorcycle accident. Another report shows that a group of Muslim extremists tried to break into a church service outside Kampala City, armed with machetes and clubs, leaving a member with injuries and damages to the church building. Other reports show that some other Muslim extremists attacked and killed a 12 year old girl in Katira areas in eastern Uganda. The girl, whose father was a former sheikh and later converted to Christianity, was strangled to death while the father was hit unconscious by the attackers.
These are just among many more of such cases in Uganda. However it is important to note that it's not just the Christians who have suffered this religious persecution. Recent reports show that some sheikhs were detained over murder and terror charges. They are accused of killing two prominent Muslim Sheikhs; Abdul Muwaya and Mustapha Bahiiga. Arrests have been made of several people in connection with murders, including a brother to one of the deceased and also a close friend of the deceased.
This wave of insecurity has resulted in heightened tension both among Christians and Muslims, mostly because the police have not yet identified the root cause of the rampant murders especially among the sheikhs. Most of the suspects arrested have charges that include murder, terrorism and crimes against humanity.
Article 18 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states; '...everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
The citizens of Uganda have the right to choose whichever religion they like without a fear of being killed or tortured. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that this fundamental human right is protected.

Why the Church Feels Discriminated Against in Marriage Licensing

marriage-discrimination

The recent directive by the Attorney General's office that Church ministers must apply for new licenses to conduct marriages under the new Marriage Act, seems to be causing disquiet among some members of the clergy. According to the directive, all licensed ministers are to return marriage certificate books issued under the old law by November 1, failure to which they will have their licenses cancelled. In a recent meeting with the Registrar General, the clergy were informed that the new marriage certificate books would cost Ksh. 25,000/-. Furthermore, all licensed ministers of faith are required to apply to the Registrar of Marriages for renewal of license or for new licenses, for which they also have to pay. It is these requirements that seem to be rubbing the men of the cloth in the wrong way, and for several reasons.
According to the new law, those authorized to celebrate marriages include duly licensed ministers of faith, in the case of Christian and Hindu marriages; Kadhis, sheikhs and imams, in the case of Muslim marriages; or the director of marriages in the case of civil and traditional marriages. The observation of the Church is that only the Christian and Hindu clergy are required to apply and pay for their licenses. This is because kadhis, under the new constitution, are state officials duly hired and paid by the government. This means that for a kadhi to celebrate a wedding, he is not only not required to seek and pay for a license, but is instead paid a salary for conducting the wedding. On the other hand, the Church pastor is not only required to pay to be licensed, but must also purchase the marriage certificate books used in the marriage ceremony. Some members of the Church are seeing this not just as an anomaly, but also as a serious act of religious discrimination. It is thus rekindling the memories of the arguments that the Church presented during the constitution review process against singling out one religion over others for inclusion in the constitution, and for appointing its religious leaders as government officers.
The other factor that is making the requirements contentious is the observation that the registration of marriages is purely a legal and therefore a government function. It is the duty of the government to ensure that all marriages conducted within the country are legal and therefore duly registered. On the other hand, the Church views marriage purely as a spiritual ordinance instituted by God. Thus the pastor officiating a wedding does so on behalf of God who brings the two parties into the holy estate of matrimony. There is no register required for this ceremony, other than the covenant made before God by the parties involved and the prayers offered by the minister to bless the couple. The registration of the marriage at a church wedding is therefore conducted only on behalf of the government. That is why in many churches, the signing of the register is never done at the altar but rather at the church office, or at a table set aside for the same.
Consequently, the argument among some clergy is that the officiating ministers should not be charged for performing a government duty. If anything, they should not only be duly compensated for it, but the marriage certificate books should also be supplied by the government for free. Furthermore, there is the legitimate argument that, whereas the amounts involved in the licensing of ministers and the purchase of books may appear small for large congregations, there are thousands of small churches in the villages of Kenya who simply cannot afford such figures. It means that their pastors and members are placed at a disadvantage if they must pay for the licenses and purchase the books.
What seems apparent from these arguments is that the government needs to review the provisions of the new marriage act and the rules that govern its implementation so as to assuage the rising concerns by the members of the clergy and their followers. Furthermore, it is clear that whereas the Church's voice was silenced at the referendum of 2010, the issues that were of concern did not necessarily die with the promulgation of the new constitution. Many of these keep rearing their ugly heads every so often, in ways very similar to what the Church had feared. Pushing them back under the carpet may not be the ultimate solution as they will only keep simmering below the surface. The relevant authorities may need to take the bold step and accept that there are factors that need addressing. Otherwise, with the prevailing trend of individually initiated referenda, it would be a pity to see the Church forced to also initiate its own Haki ya Wakristo referendum.

by David Oginde  (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Article originally appeared on the Sunday Standard, 5th October 2014
Reprinted with Permission

 

 

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