The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), in a press statement on Monday, addressed the latest incident in which police lobbed teargas at the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Witima Parish in Nyeri County. 

The Council said that the conduct went against the Kenyan Constitution, which protects everyone's right to freedom of religion and worship in both public and private settings. 

“The Church expresses her grave concern about the desecration of places of worship by Police,” said NCCK.  

The Public Order Act and the National Police Service Act, which regulate how law enforcement personnel should behave when interacting with public assemblies, were not followed by the police, according to the NCCK. 

The Council stated that"the intentional, unwarranted, and unprovoked lobbing of tear gas canisters at worshippers in a place of worship is not only illegal and unconstitutional but an attack on the body of Jesus Christ." 

Citing at least nine instances since 2020 in which police have used tear gas to disrupt church services, the NCCK cautioned that the Nyeri episode is part of a concerning pattern. 

It named previous attacks at the African Independent Pentecostal Church of Africa (AIPCA) in Murang'a County, Chosen Generation Church in Nakuru, All Saints' Cathedral and Holy Family Basilica in Nairobi, PEFA Church in Nyandarua, Africa Inland Church in Subukia, PCEA Kariobangi North, and AIPCA Church in Kiambu County. 

The Council also voiced worry over the fact that no action has ever been taken against police personnel previously implicated in the attacks. 

“The Police officers who deliberately broke the law have not been interdicted, investigated, prosecuted or otherwise held accountable for their heinous crime indicating state approval at the highest level,” added NCCK. 

During the Sunday incident, tear gas canisters were hurled inside the church, sparking fear and disrupting the service. In attendance was former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and his allies. 

According to the National Police Service (NPS), the disruption caused damage to a number of cars parked within the church grounds. There were no reported injuries. By Annabel Ouko, Citizen Digital