How some religious groups attempted to overrun the task force

Rev Mutava Musyimi presents a report to President William Ruto at State House, Nairobi, on July 30, 2024. [File, Standard]

The biggest culprits in the religious indoctrination business pulled out all stops to infiltrate and control the outcome of the task force on the review of the legal and regulatory framework governing religious organisations.

It did not help much that President William Ruto deployed the “big boys” they displaced in the field, to be members of the body that would straighten up things in the sector.

Among the strategies they deployed was to flood the public sittings and drown out the other members of the public by dominating proceedings.

One particular religious organisation associated with a popular preacher who has everything to lose should order be restored was particularly cunning. His members followed the public sittings across the country, jammed the halls, and displayed the prophetic healings of their leader.

They would mount screens in task force sittings, showing the miraculous and prophetic wins of their leader, imploring the team to recommend that miracles must be demonstrated. At some point, the taskforce grew impatient of their “take-over” tendencies and kicked them out.

The task force had adopted a strategic approach to the public hearings, splitting the team into three, each group led by a religious leader. Bishop Mark Kariuki led one team, Bishop Muhatia another and Bishop Elly Rop the third.

This was to enable the church to take leadership of the process, including mobilising attendance to the public sittings, which was also complemented by the National Government Administrative Officers.

The lawyers operated in the shadows, to enable the church leaders attract the requisite goodwill.

When the takeovers failed, the task force began to implode from within, with turf wars taking centre stage. Suspicions abound about who was pushing which agenda, who was overbearing to the rest, and who was disrespecting who.

By the time the team was supposed to present an interim report, they were stuck in an out-of-town resort with a volume for an interim report, but members almost coming to a fist fight.

What saved the team was President Ruto’s overseas trip which bought them enough time to complete a presentable interim report. The voices of reason in the team also asserted themselves and brought order back.

A section of the secretariat, complemented by seconded officials from Kenya School of Government and Attorney General's office worked flat out to whittle down the volumes into a small report which the President could consume.

On December 8, the team trooped to State House and presented the interim report to President Ruto. Impressed by their work the President added three more months to finalise their work, which included drafting the relevant laws, policies and regulations.

But the State mandarins who processed the extensions effectively accorded the team just two months, after backdating the three-month extension by a month. With half of December consumed by holidays, the team essentially ended up with a month to finalise the report and its accompaniments.