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The situation of the church in Kenya
The Constitution recognises religious freedom and the government protects it. New religious groups must register in order to enjoy tax breaks (they are also free to manage their own schools).
On 30th April 2009, the High Court dismissed charges against four men thought to be responsible for setting fire to a church on New Year’s Eve 2008 in Eldoret, Rift Valley, which killed 33 people, during the violence that followed the presidential elections. In its ruling, the court criticised both police and prosecution for the inadequate way in which they had handled the investigation and conducted the trial.
In a predominantly Christian country (but one with a large Islamic population concentrated in certain regions) Article 66 of the old Constitution provided for Qadi courts to enforce Islamic law (Shari‘a) in matters relating to personal status, marriage, divorce or inheritance whenever all the parties concerned profess the Muslim religion. However, under existing rules, any substantial legal matter, including decisions by Qadi courts, can be referred to the High Court for deliberation. Muslims now want the jurisdiction of Qadi courts to be extended to the whole country and be exclusive, with no right of appeal to the High Court.
Christian groups are opposed to such changes, calling for a clear division between state and religion, arguing that the state should retain jurisdiction in such matters. Other communities, including the Anglican Church, say that the demands would grant Muslims privileges denied other religions. They would like the existing Qadi court system to be abolished. The debate has been very heated and confrontational. Christian groups, especially Protestant, have accused Muslims of trying to set up a “state within a state.”
Christians also oppose an amendment to the new Constitution that would state that human life begins at birth rather than conception. Instead, they are calling for the right to life and the full human dignity of the person to be recognised from conception onwards.
Christian schools have many Muslim pupils, a situation that has led to frequent disagreements over veils, food and co-educational classrooms. Mgr Boniface Lele, Archbishop of Mombasa, a predominantly Muslim diocese, said that clear and unambiguous government guidelines are needed. The state must be responsible for the various religious calendars, prayers and weekly worship in order that they do not “interfere with learning”.
Christian and Muslim groups run radio and TV stations, but the government minister responsible has rejected a request by the Catholic Church to broadcast nationwide.
Incidents of Catholic missionaries targetted by criminals
On the morning of 16th January 2009, Fr Giuseppe Bertaina, rector and administrator of the Consolata Institute of Philosophy in Langata, Nairobi, was killed in his office during a robbery.
A woman was later arrested in possession of cheque books belonging to the murdered missionary.
On the night of 10 th and 11th December, an Irish priest, Fr Jeremiah Roche of the St. Patrick's Missionary Society was also killed at home in Kericho (250 kilometres from Nairobi). Since Fr. Roche was an active fundraiser for the different development projects that he worked on the thieves might have thought that he had a lot of money in his room.
Sisters Maria Teresa Olivero and Caterina Girando, held captive for three months inside Somalia, were released in late February 2009 in Mogadishu (Somalia). Sr Caterina said, “They treated us well; they only wanted money.” The area where the abduction occurred is constantly used by Somali refugees fleeing civil war in their country. It has also suffered from frequent incursions by bandits who cross the border to steal cattle. However, abductions are quite rare. The two nuns had been working in Kenya for 35 and 25 years respectively at their congregational house in El-Wak, where they ran a small dispensary and shelter, and were loved and highly respected by the local population, made up mostly of Muslims.
Protestants
Even though relations between Christians and Muslims are usually peaceful, there are nevertheless points of friction, some of which are serious. For instance, in the city of Garissa, near the Somali border, the head of the Redeemed Gospel Church complained in March 2009 that the authorities had not rebuilt the church that young Muslims had destroyed on 14th September 2008. The authorities told the Compass Direct News agency that they had refrained from rebuilding the church on the original site, as demanded by its members, because Muslims would see it as a provocation. In fact, relations between the two communities had originally deteriorated, in part, because a mosque was built at a distance of just three metres from the existing church. The police have not yet taken steps to identify and arrest those responsible for the attack on the church.
Muslims
The government is still concerned about infiltration by radical Muslims. In January 2010, police were involved in violent clashes with demonstrators demanding the release of Imam Abdullah Al-Faisal. One person died during the clashes and many more were injured, including members of the police force.
The cleric had been convicted of inciting racial hatred and involvement in terrorist acts. He was also believed by some to have inspired the attacks in the London underground and had spent about four years in a British jail, between 2004 and 2008. He entered Kenya on 31st December 2008, but was arrested for violating visa regulations.
On 21st January 2009, Al-Faisal was expelled and sent back to his native Jamaica. His followers protested, claiming that his arrest was illegal. Others said the authorities did not want a staunch supporter of violent action by Muslims in the country.
How you can help
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) supports several projects in Kenya. You can support these projects by donating via their national offices.
Below you can find one or more finished projects ACN supported in the past.
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In the run-up to the presidential elections in 2007/2008 Kenya was struck by political unrest and ethnic violence, and an estimated 600,000 or more people were forced to flee from their homes. At the time the "Live with Hope" centre, a care home for victims of HIV/AIDS, run by the Franciscan Sisters of the ImmaculateConception in Kericho near Kisumu, took in many of the refugees. The opposition party, the ODM, had refused to recognize the reelection of President Mwai Kibaki, since they believed the elections to have been rigged. Read more >>
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The Franciscan Brothers came to the diocese of Meru in Kenya in 1984, at the request of Bishop Silas Njiru. In 1989 they moved to the Archdiocese of Nairobi, where they opened a formation house. This formation house became known throughout the African continent and also internationally. Read more >>
Statistics
Population: 40.90 Million
Christian Population: 33.40 Million
Religious statistics:
Christians 81.7%
Ethnoreligionists 9.3%
Muslims 7.1%
Others 1.9%
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