President Uhuru Kenyatta has directed AG Githu Muigai to continue registering churches in line with the freedom of religion guaranteed by the constitution.
Uhuru said on Saturday that churches play an important role and should not be stopped from providing spiritual nourishment so long as they don’t engage in activities that break the law.
“If anyone wants to register a church, so long as he worships the God we know, he should be allowed to register to preach the word of God. We want religious leaders to enjoy freedom of worship," he told a rally at Voi Stadium in Taita Taveta county.
The Attorney General, through an alleged moratorium on November 11, 2014, barred the registration of religious organisations pending the gazettement of regulations to govern churches.
The rules were to deter religious groups from swindling and engaging in money laundering and terrorism.
But officials of more than 200 churches in Nyeri county opposed them saying
fraudster preachers should be jailed but freedom of worship should not be curtailed.
Two preachers later sued to reverse the directive by the government.
Nadya Atieno and Emmanuel Kevogo said the directive had prevented them from undertaking charitable activities, holding crusades, congregating to worship as members professing the same faith, or carrying out any religious activities due to lack of licensing by the Registrar of Societies.
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Other speakers at the rally were Deputy President William Ruto, Taita Taveta Senator Dan Mwazo, women representative Joyce Lay and Taveta MP Naomi.
Mwazo and Lay decamped from Raila Odinga's ODM party to Jubilee saying it had Kenya's interests at heart and was pro-development.
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