Religious leaders have asked the state to exclude faith groups from the proposed Church and Attorney General Association Bill 2018.
National chairman of the Alliance of Registered Churches of Kenya
Bishop Samuel Welimo said religious bodies should be left to register under the Societies Act.
Welimo said many churches, especially the Pentecostal ones, usually start humbly before growing.
He said some begin under a tree, in houses or even by a few family members.
He said it won’t be possible for many churches to register and have a title deed as the bill proposes.
“We are kindly asking the State Law Office to give church the freedom of worship without interference by de-linking them from this bill,” he said.
He observed that most worshipers are like matatu passengers who come in and go and, in most cases, a church is unable to keep a full record of members.
“Some of our Pentecostal churches’ pastors live on as little as Sh200 or Sh500 per month and some of this cash may be from friends; how can they be able to submit such financial reports to KRA,” he asked.
He said only developed churches in towns, with major projects, can submit returns to the Kenya Revenue Authority as the bill proposes.
He said the bill will highly interfere with free worship and most churches might be forced to close down.
Elsewhere, retired Bishop of ACK Nambale diocese, Julius Were, has asked Bungoma residents to give Bungoma governor Wycliffe Wangamati a ample time to deliver on his election manifesto.
Speaking after the Sunday mass at St Crispins ACK Church in Milimani area Bungoma town, Bishop Were said that even God did not create the world in one day but in six days.
“Even God did not build this beautiful world in one day. He took six days and rested on the seventh day, according to his word. The governor has only been in office for one year and we have seen signs of good work. Let us not be impatient with him,” he said.