Defiant churches are the weak link in State’s war against virus spread

Worshipers at Kisima cha Nehema church in deep prayer during a Sunday service to pray for the country despite calls by the government to close down. [Gideon Maundu/Standard]

Police in Mombasa were yesterday forced to eject worshipers from churches as they enforced the ban on public gatherings to combat spread of Covid-19.

It took the intervention of security forces to make worshipers at Jesus Celebration Centre in Mombasa town centre and Zion Church in Changamwe to leave the premises.

Elsewhere, some churches adjusted their normal Sunday service routines to stem spread of the disease.

Some churches streamed their services online or on television, while others kept their doors open, but with measures to have congregants sanitise before accessing the houses of worship.

At some evangelical churches, ushers were stationed at the gate to direct worshipers to the tithe box. Worshipers dropped bundles of notes or coins and were directed to other ushers with sanitisers. After they paid their tithes, some attended a brief prayer, but a majority was encouraged to go home.

It is after paying tithe that they were directed to a place to sanitise their hands. We established that some of the “sanitisers’ was “holy hand jell”, which the worshipers were told was more powerful than the chemical sanitisers or soap.

In South Korea, confirmed cases jumped from a few dozen within a week to more than 900. The spike was blamed on a woman who infected fellow adherents of a religious sect.

At Zion Church in Mombasa, worshipers protested at being ejected from the church, claiming they were being persecuted.

‘’These people have to obey the directive. The coronavirus is real and we must enforce the directive at all costs,’’ said Changamwe police boss Ali Ndiema.

Evangelist Mary Kagendo, who leads the Kisima cha Neema cha Mwana wa Daudi criticised the ban, arguing that although Kenyans were under obligation to obey State orders, “Kenya also needs prayers during these tough times”.

At JCC in Bamburi, police ejected congregants who had defied the directive.

Earlier, reports indicate that church security guards had blocked the police at the main gate from accessing the premises, but police managed to overpower them and gain access.

The area police boss said they were enforcing the government directive for the benefit of the congregants’ health.

A church member, Christine Kambua, criticised the police for enforcing the order, saying God has the final say on the outbreak.

At Mshomoroni Kanisa cha Kisima la Neema, hundreds of congregants converged for the Sunday service, which was held in the open.

In Nairobi, many churches opted to temporarily close shop in line with the government’s advice, but others welcomed congregants as usual.

At the Holy Family Basilica, mass went on but recorded a lower than usual turnout. Hygiene and other safety measures were employed within the church, with hand sanitisers placed at strategic positions. The church also provided soap and water for hand-washing.

Inside, worshipers were discouraged from shaking hands. The message of social-distancing was also shared by the presiding priest, Father Matthew Njuguna, though he admitted it still posed a challenge.

“Our pews normally accommodate 10 but we are encouraging them to sit in fives…some come in families so it is hard to separate them,” he said.

Some of the congregants vowed to continue attending mass and believe divine intervention was the best defence against the pandemic.

“Is this virus greater than God,” posed Lucy Muiyuro, a worshiper.

Other sanctuaries that stayed open include the AIC Milimani, which observed some spacing between congregants. Some, such as St Andrews PCEA, opted to televise their services.

At the All Saints Cathedral, the church doors remained closed as per a directive issued last week by the church that suspended services in the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic.

Citam Valley Road Church as well as Deliverance Church Umoja remained closed.?

The Jubilee Christian Church Parklands stayed open with a rallying call of “faith over fear” in a bid to encourage worshipers to seek divine intervention in the wake of the pandemic.

In Kericho County, an estimated 2,500 faithful of Emmanuel African Gospel Church received their Sunday sermon online and through a local radio station.

Rev Joyce Tonui said unlike ordinary Sundays whereby the church usually ministers to it members in three services, they only had one online evangelical programme read largely rom Psalms.

In Nakuru County, Deliverance Church-Life Celebration Centre with a capacity of 3,000 worshipers allowed 750 faithful for the Sunday service.

At Metro Church, Biship Mike Brawan published links to television channels and radio stations on which worshipers could log in.

Those that showed up for service were lined up in a spacing of one metre outside the gate and each one of them was required to sanitise their hands before being allowed into the church.

In Uasin Gishu, worshipers turned up for mass but in sessions controlled to ensure that those who entered sat more than a metre apart from each other.

At the Sacret Heart Cathedral in Eldoret diocese, the mass was split into eight services from the usual three.

In Kibwezi town, Makindu, Emali and Wote towns among others, a number of  churches remained open, but recorded low numbers.

At St Marks Catholic Church in Lurambi, Kakamega, faithful prayed outside to observe the social distance rule.

They were required to wash their hands at designated points before taking their seats on benches arranged outside the church.

Things were not different at St Joseph Catholic Church in Kakamega town where faithful started arriving as early as 7am.

In Vihiga, most churches ensured they had water and soap for faithful to wash their hands before going in.

[Report by Bernard Sanga, Weldon Kipkemoi, Brian Otieno, Daniel Chege, Nikko Tanui, Peter Ochieng, Steve Nzioka, Simon Oyeng’ and Eric Lungai]