• Health CS Mutahi Kagwe on Sunday evening announced church and mosque gatherings have been banned.
Image: NJERI MACHARIA
Many churches in Nakuru conducted Sunday services despite a government directive discouraging public gathering in the wake of Covid-19 cases.
However, churches which opened their doors to faithful followed the laid down precautionary measures with some opting to use envelops for the Sunday offering and staggering the service to ensure the one-metre social distance was maintained.
Some limited the number of people while others had reduced numbers of up to 40 per cent as the faithful chose to stay home.
At the Nakuru Life Celebration Centre Deliverance Church which accommodates 3,000 followers, only 750 people were allowed in per service.
The church's lead pastor, Rev Elijah Mwangi said the sitting arrangement was altered to create the one-metre distance between congregants."We appreciate the governments concern in curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus and we have to play our individual and shared role in avoiding further spread," he said.
Faithfuls' temperature checked at the main church gate and members had to wash their hands and sanitise before entering.
The cleric said instead of passing offering bags, they were taken round the church by a few ushers to avoid contact with many people.
He added that the church had staggered the services to ensure more people were allowed to worship with the prayer hall being fumigated in between every session.
The head of Christian Brotherhood Church in Kenya, Bishop Geoffrey Buliba said on top of precautionary guidelines, people need hope and that is why he opened his church for service.
"We created space to maintain the personal distance and warned followers against grouping once the service was over," he said.
It was the same case at Christian Outreach Church in Kiamunyi, Rongai Sub County where Sunday mass went on with less than half the members.
Meanwhile, different people among them businesses, hotel owners and even police stations are taking their roles of ensuring the public health guidelines are followed seriously.
Health CS Mutahi Kagwe on Sunday evening announced church and mosque gatherings have been banned.