Since its first break-out in December last year, Covid-19 has proved a hard nut to crack even for developed countries with all the advanced medical technology. Reports of fatalities from western countries are not only shocking but also disheartening.
The abrasiveness with which the pandemic is ravishing humanity has compelled nations all over the world to develop a raft of measures to curtail its speedy spread. These have ranged from stringent restrictions on movements to total lockdown.
In Kenya, all learning institutions have been shut down, social gatherings as evident in churches, wedding and burial ceremonies outlawed. More recently, the government has banned movements into and out of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale counties.
These measures call for patriotism and collective responsibility among the citizens for us to make a stride in combating the spread of the deadly virus.
However, there are some religious profiteers and hypocrites everywhere on the social media having accorded themselves the positions of religious Mr Know It All.
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They are eloquent with vituperation on the government for having banned church gatherings yet Covid-19 is a punishment by God, hence requires church prayers to mitigate.
Many questions thus abound, when did these good ‘prophets’ of ours realise that God was angry and needed church prayers? What did they do as God’s mouthpieces before we found ourselves here? Have they not heard how Italy has paid heavily for defying orders not to participate in social gatherings?
Now let me tell these so-called prophets. The last time I checked from the Bible, prayers were welcome by God, irrespective of the place of worship.
Secondly, measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus is important to us and far much transcends the narrow boundaries of your crass greed for tithes.
Thirdly, if you knew God was angry and wanted to bring the virus to demand church repentance, you were religiously obligated to forewarn us.
Your failure to do so is tantamount to absconding your God-ordained duty and thus, should attract some sanctions.
Otherwise, your aspersions on the government’s move to ban church gatherings could confirm our fears that you are acting in accordance with what Chinua Achebe described as “a lazy man becomes wise when a season fails.”
We are alive to the fact that the government is acting in good faith and with the sole aim of preserving life.
I therefore call on Kenyans to strictly adhere to the regulations set by the government as they are meant for our own good.
Sylvester Ogolla, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University
