NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 26 — The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) has demanded the immediate interdiction, investigation and prosecution of police officers involved in the disruption of a church service in Nyeri on Sunday.
Speaking following an attack on the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Witima Parish in Othaya, Nyeri County, the Council warned attacks on places of worship are becoming an alarming and unacceptable trend.
In a statement titled “Stop Teargassing Churches”, the NCCK described the attack as a violation of the constitutional right to freedom of worship as guaranteed under Article 32(2) of the Constitution of Kenya (2010).
“The National Police Service violated the constitutional right to worship,” the Council said, noting that the Public Order Act and the National Police Service Act provide clear guidelines on how police should conduct themselves when managing public gatherings — guidelines it said were ignored during the Othaya incident.
Quoting Psalm 11:4–5, the NCCK expressed grave concern over what it termed the desecration of places of worship by security officers, warning that the deliberate use of teargas against congregants during active services is illegal, unconstitutional and morally indefensible.
The Council said the Othaya incident is part of a disturbing pattern, citing at least nine cases since 2020 in which police action disrupted ongoing church services across the country.
These include incidents in Murang’a, Nakuru, Nairobi, Nyandarua, Kiambu and Nyeri counties, where teargas was allegedly deployed in or near churches while worship was underway.
Unqualified apology
According to the NCCK, none of the officers implicated in these incidents has been interdicted or held accountable, a situation it said signals tolerance — or even approval — of such conduct at senior levels of government.
“This worrying trend must stop now,” the Council said, warning that violence against worshippers undermines the rule of law and erodes public trust in state institutions.
The NCCK called for an unqualified public apology from the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and the Inspector General of Police to the church and the wider religious community.
It also demanded the swift interdiction, investigation and prosecution of all officers involved in attacks on churches during worship services.
The statement follows chaotic scenes at the Othaya service, which was attended by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Former Chief Justice David Maraga has since called on President William Ruto to issue a public apology to Kenyans — and specifically to worshippers at Witima ACK Church — over the incident.
Maraga condemned the police response, accusing the state of using excessive force against civilians in a place of worship and calling for urgent accountability for the officers involved.
Images and videos circulating on social media showed damaged vehicles, including those in Gachagua’s convoy, fuelling public outrage and renewed debate over police conduct and political intolerance.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said investigations were under way and assured the public that those responsible would be held to account.
He emphasised that violence — particularly in places of worship — is unacceptable and that the government would not tolerate the excessive use of force.
