Church leaders demand guns to protect faithful from attacks

By PATRICK BEJA 

Mombasa, Kenya: Pentecostal church leaders in Mombasa have renewed calls to the State to arm them to protect their property and faithful from terrorists following Sunday’s attack on worshippers in Mombasa’s Likoni slums.

Speaking in Mombasa under the umbrella of the Kenya National Congress of Pentecostal Churches and Ministries (KNCPCM), they asked major churches such as the Catholic and Anglican Church of Kenya and their umbrella organisations to offer direction on the issue of security in churches, particularly in Mombasa.

The church leaders expressed concern that the attacks could reduce the number of worshippers attending services due to fear.

“We ask our national church leaders to meet as a matter of urgency to guide the church in this country at this crucial time,” said KNCPCM chairman Bishop Tee Nalo.

Speaking at a Press conference held at the Darajani Hotel in Mombasa yesterday, the church leaders called on Kenyans to support the Government efforts to eliminate terror activities.

 “The Government should protect all churches and facilitate pastors who want to have guns as they lead prayers following the terror threats,” Nalo said.

Last year, Bishop Lambert Mbela of Redeemed Gospel Church in North Coast region backed calls to arm the clergy with guns for protection.

Dr Mbela  said church leaders and ushers should be trained on how to handle guns.

“We can provide security in our churches if we are given arms,” he said.

Mbela came into the limelight during the burial of Pastor Charles Mathole of Redeemed Gospel in Mtopanga who had been killed in a gun attack.

He termed the killing of Mathole and Pastor Ibrahim Kithaka of East African Pentecostal Churches, as the reason why they need to protect themselves. Mathole and Kithaka were killed on separate incidents on the weekend of October 19 and 20, 2013.

Mathole was killed by unknown people while praying in his church in Mombasa while Kithaka was found dumped in a bush in Vitengeni in Kilifi county

Yesterday, Bishop Nalo and vice chairman Bishop Paul Mwaura, who led the clergy from 17 churches in Mombasa, said terrorists should not be allowed to hide under religion.

Bishop Mwaura said they strongly supported the establishment of Nyumba Kumi initiative to ensure Kenyans flush out terrorists in their neighbourhoods.

“The terrorists are known to some people and we therefore support the Nyumba Kumi initiative so as to identify and report such suspects to the authorities,” Mwaura said.

In a signed statement, the church leaders said the church attackers were not ordinary criminals but were terrorists out to maim, kill and silence the church.

They linked the attackers to the recent burning of churches in Mombasa.

“We urge the government to double its efforts in dealing with terrorist activities in this country and Mombasa in particular,” they said.

They claimed the Likoni church attackers could have been financed by wealthy individuals.

Bishop Nalo urged Islamic and political leaders to come out strongly and condemn terrorists’ activities in the country.

“It should never appear that we are abetting or sympathising with people whose agenda is to kill and bring insecurity in our land. At the end of the day, we are all affected when the economy is affected,” Nalo added.

The church leaders said they believed the Government had the capacity to contain insecurity in the Coast region since it was able to crush Mungiki and the Sabaot Land Defence Force.