Uhuru hints at gradual re-opening of places of worship

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday hinted at the reopening of places of worship.

While delivering his Madaraka Day speech at State House, the President said he shared the heavy hearts of all those who can no longer worship as they used to.

As part of the measures to contain the spread of Coronavirus in the country, the government ordered closure of all places of worship in March and President Kenyatta has now called on all stakeholders involved to hasten consultations and come up with a workable plan.

“I share the heavy hearts of all the faithful who can no longer congregate and share in worship in that regard, and conscious of the emerging trend of infections.

“I direct the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Health to continue and hasten their engagement with religious leaders; with the objective of developing protocols that will be adopted to guide a more participatory way of worship while guaranteeing the safety of worshipers,” he said.

Religious leaders around the country have been putting pressure on the government to re-open places of worship, some arguing that Covid-19 should be battled on the altar.

Last month, Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala asked the President to re-open places of worship but under strict guidelines of social distancing.

The senator argued that the country is need of some spiritual nourishment and since some eateries were given the go-ahead to resume business, churches, mosques and temples should also be considered.

“Let us resume other activities including opening churches and mosques because praying together plays a big part in the spiritual nourishment of our people.

"They can observe all the directives, including sitting 1.5 metres apart and limiting the maximum number of church services that can be held in one day,” he opined.

Adding: "Surely, if you can trust a drunkard with following the safety regulations for Covid-19, how can we deny the same for worshippers?”