Johnson Sakaja, the governor of Nairobi, has disallowed the closing of churches in urban and suburban areas.
On December 1, during the official opening of the Green Park bus terminal, Sakaja insisted that his administration will open a line of communication with religious leaders to resolve the concerns made by displeased parties.
The county will impose rules and regulations that will be utilized to keep places of worship in check after the discourse, the governor added.
“I will not close the churches. We want them to spread the gospel on obeying rules and regulations.i will initiate talks with them because we must be reasonable and accommodate each other in the city,” he stated.
Adding:
” I will not go back on the abolition of bars and restaurants from residences. We have closed that chapter.Let us move on. Those saying people will lose jobs are seeking sympathy. It is the right thing to do although is unpopular.”
Sakaja’s decision was made under pressure from Kenyans who wanted him to control churches in residential areas.
They requested the governor shut them down days after having the permits for over 43 clubs and entertainment venues in various residential areas of Nairobi revoked, led by the Atheist Society of Kenya.
“As a society, we have received numerous complaints about places of worship that are a nuisance to residents of Nairobi due to noise pollution,” Atheists chairperson Harrison Mumia stated.
“We demand that the Nairobi County Government include places of worship in its notice. We suspect that Governor Sakaja is privileging religious institutions on this issue,” he added.
