Why Catholic priest camped at Nanyuki bar for 6 hours last Sunday

Social media posts showing a Catholic priest preaching in a bar in Nanyuki, Laikipia County last Sunday, December 5, has excited online users.

Father Martin Ndegwa of St. Teresa Equator Catholic Church, Nanyuki told The Standard that he wanted to have a word with the revellers to urge them to exercise caution while on the roads, even as he prayed that God protects them.

The session with revellers at the Moran Lounge and Grill was a whole-day affair, starting at 9am, going all the way to 6pm.

“Partygoers have families. They drive on the same roads as sober people. Consequently, I took it upon myself to urge them to drink responsibly, even as I uttered intercession prayers for them,” Father Ndegwa said.

The priest further said he was dedicating a thanksgiving prayer because Moran Lounge survived tough economic times wrought by the outbreak of Covid-19 in Kenya in March 2020

“It’s through God’s grace that the entertainment joint survived the turbulent period,” he said.

Father Ndegwa, however, clarified that the session held at Moran Lounge was not a “mass” as widely reported by some media outlets and online users on micro-blogging site Twitter.

“It was just a normal prayer session, for the business, the revellers, the lounge’s staff members and owners,” he said, adding that the proprietors of the joint had approached him to pray for the Moran Lounge community.

The entertainment joint’s director, Francis Ngugi, told The Standard that they sought Ndegwa’s spiritual intervention to secure a new journey ahead, one that presents unfamiliar challenges as Covid-19 continues to mutate.

“Bars, just like other legal businesses, shouldn’t be frowned upon; the community that visits bars shouldn’t be prejudiced,” he said.

The Moran Lounge director said so far, they haven’t lost a staff member to Covid-19.

“That is similar to a miracle that needs a thanksgiving session,” he said, observing that the next prayer session is scheduled for June 2022.

As part of corporate social responsibility, Ngugi said Moran Lounge sets aside 20 per cent of its profits, which goes towards buying basic goods for the less-privileged.

Robert Kabata, who is a co-director of Moran Lounge, said when bar operating hours were capped by the Health ministry to contain the spread of Covid-19, they were forced to slash alcohol prices to keep operations going.

The Sunday prayer session by Father Martin Ndegwa was attended by Laikipia Assistant County Commissioner Catherine Akinyi, who urged the staff members of the lounge to ensure that revellers abide by Covid-19 containment rules.