The symbol of a cross, signifying a church, November 12, 2024.
Kenyans have fallen victim to several harmful practices in religious spaces, a new report by the National Crime Research Center (NCRC) has revealed.
In the research report dated Monday, November 11, there are detrimental practices under the guise of religion that have been on the rise.
According to the report, which also highlights crime cases in the religious space, Kenyans are rejecting medicine and formal education and are increasingly involved in secret worship practices as they follow what they are being taught by religious leaders.
More Kenyans are also being involved in cult-like behaviours, distinctive dress codes, opposition to government programs, and the dissemination of radical teachings by their religious leaders.
The harmful practices within the various religious groups range from activities that constitute criminal offenses to those generally perceived as detrimental.
The report has revealed that religious leaders are taking advantage of believers seeking solutions to life's challenges. They then offer promises of prosperity, healing, or spiritual fulfilment to draw in vulnerable individuals, particularly those facing socioeconomic hardships.
They often present themselves as having unique solutions to problems that mainstream society or traditional religions have failed to address. This exploitation of vulnerability makes individuals more susceptible to manipulation and less likely to question the group's motives.
Some religious leaders in churches are using the Bible to divert the teachings and misinterpret them selectively using scriptures to justify practices like rejecting medical care or selling off personal belongings.
This misinterpretation of religious texts mislead followers into believing that harmful practices are divinely ordained. A perfect example is the teachings by Pastor Paul Mackenzie of the Shakahola massacre that left over 200 people dead.
They followed the pastor's teaching and starved to death believing they were heaven-bound. These practices are majorly witnessed in Kilifi, Nakuru, Kisumu, and Kwale Counties. The religious leaders and groups are more prevalent in rural areas and less common in towns.
The research also found that these leaders have a wider geographical reach, extending beyond the four named counties and even attracting followers from outside Kenya.
One may wonder, why are Kenyans falling prey to these practices. Well, the report has revealed that individuals who attempt to leave these groups often face significant consequences, including threats, social ostracization, or even physical harm.
The report mentions cases where former members of specific religious groups died under mysterious circumstances, raising concerns about potential retribution or silencing of those who attempt to leave.
The Kenyan government has been called upon to tighten measures and ensure that what is being taught in religious spaces is not detrimental. Many religious teachers are untrained and the NCRC has called upon the government to tighten this loophole. By Christine Opanda, Kenyans.co.ke
Several primary schools in Arua city, northern Uganda have launched campaigns against what they describe as indecent dressing among parents and students.
This initiative aims to address concerns about the influence of inappropriate dress, often associated with urban lifestyles, on young students. Arua Public Primary School, which serves over 2,000 pupils mainly from the city centre, is among the schools actively implementing this campaign.
Alfred Amati, the school’s deputy head teacher, emphasized the importance of instilling moral values, particularly given the school’s urban location where students are often exposed to a range of influences.
"If you're not dressed to the standard we want, we cannot allow you to come in because we want our children to lead by example, and our parents, you have to dress decently before them. One of the challenges facing us is our location, people surrounding us in the middle of the city, they do things the way they like but we have to at least take some control, we're aware that some of these inappropriate dresses are there in homes in town, wherever they move but when they come here at school, they must do the right thing. That is why we're a school," said Amati.
Joseph Odama, a parent at Arua Public Primary, praised the initiative, suggesting that parents who dress inappropriately should be denied access to school premises to reinforce positive examples for children.
"These are institutions that are meant to nurture our children and as a parent," said Odama. "And when a child sees you putting on a dress that correlates with the manner that you're trying to portray in public, this child can also in turn imitate what you're doing. You know the current world is messed up with so many things," said Odama.
Khalsum Abdu, a PTA member at Najjah Primary School and the secretary for social services at Arua City Council, noted the erosion of cultural values in West Nile due to unchecked lifestyle trends, including inappropriate dress.
"We're making our culture to fade. You find a parent putting on a dress which does not convey her to be called a parent. So what do you expect the child to do? We should revive our decent dress code.
Copy those [cultures] that can comply with your culture, which can improve on your culture. Like for us in our culture, you're not supposed to see someone's breasts that is why there is high immorality rates. And we as women activists, here we're fighting against sexual gender-based violence and yet we have failed to see what indicators are those accelerating the vice, indecent dressing is the one," said Abdu.
Arua’s senior education officer, Zilly Buuza, voiced concerns about the indirect risks posed to children when parents adopt revealing styles, which children may emulate. Currently, more than ten schools are running these campaigns, with plans to expand the initiative to additional schools in the coming academic year. By URN/Th Observer
Tehran, IRNA—Iran's Deputy Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, has said that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi will hold talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during his upcoming visit to Tehran.
Gharibabadi said on his X account on Monday that the Director General of the IAEA will arrive in Tehran on Wednesday night for a two-day visit to Iran. This trip will continue the interactions between Iran and the Agency and be in line with the joint statement of the two sides on March 4, 2023.
He added that Grossi will meet with the Iranian president, the Iranian minister of foreign affairs, and the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI).
Iran will continue cooperating with the Agency within the framework of its safeguard obligations unless certain countries with political motives seek to harm the efforts of the Director General and relations between Iran and the Agency.
Grossi is scheduled to arrive in Tehran this Wednesday at the invitation of Iran and will meet with Iranian officials, IRNA reported on Sunday.
He is scheduled to hold talks with senior Iranian officials a day later, discussing the country’s nuclear energy program.
Grossi will also have high-level meetings with the Iranian government and will hold technical discussions on all aspects related to the joint statement agreed with Iran in March 2023.
The meetings in Tehran will build on Grossi's discussions with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in September, a statement by the IAEA said.
“It is essential that we make substantive progress in the implementation of the joint statement agreed with Iran in March 2023,” Grossi said, adding, “My visit to Tehran will be very important in that regard”. Islamic Republic News Agency
A view of the clashes between SAF and RSF at Nyala’s Al-Nahda neighborhood. [Photo by Sudans Post]
NYALA – Approximately 100 civilians were killed on Saturday in an airstrike by the Sudanese army targeting a camp for displaced persons in Beliel locality near Nyala, the capital of South Darfur.
The air force also dropped bombs on the busy city market, as well as in the Riyadh and Khartoum Bilail neighborhoods of Nyala, resulting in additional casualties.
Exact figures are unknown due to internet and communication outages, but locals reports that the civilians killed are about 100.
Resistance Committees in Beliel locality, rural Nyala, confirmed to Sudans Post that “the Sudanese army’s air force carried out an airstrike on a displaced persons camp,” and reported that the attack killed close to 100 people, including women, elderly people, and children, with dozens more injured.
The Resistance Committees condemned the airstrike as “a massacre surpassing all forms of brutality,” describing it as part of an ongoing campaign targeting defenseless civilians.
They accused the Sudanese army of exploiting civilians in political conflicts, driven by ambitions that disregard humanity.
“These crimes not only provoke the sentiments of Sudanese people but also expose the criminality of the Islamic Movement’s army led by Burhan,” the committees said.
They further alleged that the military’s actions have “crossed red lines” without accountability from the international community, leaving the victims overlooked and disregarded by global powers, condemned to a dire fate amid what they called a “shameful international silence.”
Videos shared widely on social media showed body parts and remains of victims scattered across Riyadh neighbourhood, the city market, Khartoum Bilail, and Beliel locality. The footage depicted many women and children among the dead.
Other scenes showed bodies of children lying near their deceased mothers in disturbing images of the aftermath.
The Sudanese army has recently intensified aerial operations across Sudan’s states, resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths and injuries, as well as widespread destruction of homes and property. Sudans Post
President William Ruto, and other Heads of State during the high-level meeting on the Belt and Road Initiative that he co-chaired at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit in Beijing.[File, Standard]
Legal and security challenges are among key issues identified as bottlenecks affecting development projects being undertaken by China in Africa, factors that also complicate other emerging exchange programmes and partnerships.
A more elaborate legal framework is, therefore, necessary to accelerate progress and to further streamline the fast paced development and modernisation engagement that is driven by China in Africa.
Former African Union (AU) chairperson Ambassador Erastus Mwencha, argued that countries on the continent and more so, Kenya has a lot to learn from China, which managed to lift 800,000 people out of poverty within a very short time.
Speaking at the 21st China Lecture Series held in Nairobi recently, the seasoned diplomat challenged Kenyans to emulate the deliberate reform efforts that China undertook from 1978 to make it the second most powerful country in the world today.
Since China launched the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, the programme has brought a lot of benefits to Kenya and many African countries through the funding and construction of road and railway projects, but the programme also faces unforeseen challenges.
The cooperation between the Asian economic giant and Africa, however, continues to grow in leaps and bounds with projects, such as the just signed Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) extension project from Duka Moja near Suswa Trading Centre in Narok County to Malaba in Busia County, given as an example.
Many gray areas that need to be worked on to clear existing legal and security challenges that could hamper more investment and trade between China and the continent in future have been identified.
That was part of the extensive discussions held by Kenyan scholars and Chinese experts in Nairobi at - The 21st China Lecture Series, that was hosted by Prof Peter Kagwanja’s Africa Policy Institute in Nairobi this week.
Prof Zhu Weidong, a senior research fellow at China Africa Institute (CASS), a key note speaker emphasised the necessity of well-defined legal structures to maintain stability and security of the BRI projects not only in Kenya, but across the continent.
He told the gathering that clear legal agreements not only mitigate conflicts, but also foster transparency and accountability, as he urged China and Africa to collaboratively shape legal frameworks that will underpin long lasting partnerships built on trust and mutual benefit.
“Implementing such legal agreements ensures that both host countries and investors have the security to make enduring commitments, and BRI, therefore, becomes more appealing to African countries as it spreads across the continent,” said Weidong.
China will also be assured that its investments and agreements are secured through a stable legal environment that can be easily be enforced to establish a reliable development partnership, as BRI expands across Africa, because safety and security of infrastructure will become paramount.
Lack of an adequate legal framework in the settlement of cross border commercial disputes has created many obstacles in the management of commercial litigation between Africa and China.
The need for the ascertainment of jurisdiction, recognition and enforcement of judgements from each side can also greatly help in dealing with emerging cross border crimes.
Only nine African countries namely Namibia, Algeria, Tunisia, South Africa, Kenya, Republic of Congo, Morocco, Mauritius and Egypt have concluded a legal framework that is currently fully effective.
So far only 14, among them Namibia, Lesotho, Algeria, Tunisia, South Africa, Angola, Morocco, Republic of Congo, Kenya, Senegal, Mauritius, Botswana, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe have concluded bilateral treaties on extradition with China that are also effective.
There are also 35 Bilateral Investment Treaties (BTIs) that have been signed between the two sides so far, but only 23 have come into effect.
The other 12 treaties entered into with Namibia, Botswana, Sierra Leone, Kenya (2001), Code’ Ivoire, Djibouti, Benin, Uganda, Guinea, Seychelles, Chad and Namibia are still work in progress.
Some 20 Double Taxation Treaties (DDTs) have also been signed to create ease of trade between countries on the continent and China, out of which only 15 have successfully become operational with Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ethiopia, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Nigeria, South Africa, DRC, Angola and Rwanda.
The ineffective five DTTs are entered into with Kenya, Gabon, Senegal, Uganda and Cameroon, because those laws are largely ignored by the taxman.
Kenya entered into an agreement with China that says; “Where a resident of Kenya derives income, which in accordance with provisions of this agreement, may be taxed in China, Kenya shall allow a deduction from the tax, an amount equal to tax paid in China,” but importers complain that they never receive relieves.
To improve cooperation and guarantee the successful implementation of BRI projects agreed between China and Africa, a comprehensive legal framework should also be built to provide judicial exchange and also strengthen public legal awareness on both sides.
More bilateral treaties on judicial assistance in civil and commercial matters is also recommended and the same applies to criminal matters, bilateral treaties and DTTs.
To achieve the required standard across the continent and create room for cross cutting projects that can run across regions, more and more African countries are encouraged to accede to multilateral treaties in both civil, criminal and commercial matters.
But before that is realised, all parties operating under the current legal framework, were advised to also settle civil, commercial and investments disputes through arbitration protocols that already exist between some African countries and China.
The China-Africa joint Arbitration Centre in Nairobi was launched to fast track dispute resolution between China and African countries and so matters that would have ended up in court can be settled through arbitration or mediation.
The Organisation for the Harmonisation of Business Law in Africa (OHADA), that serves 16 West and Central African nations launched in 1993 has also become useful in dealing with debt resolution law, arbitration, general commercial and insolvency laws and harmonisation of corporate accounting, among other laws.
Amb. Mwencha emphasised that African countries should not be pushed to take positions that threaten their survival, as they engage with development partners.
Prof Kagwanja cautioned that more developments can only be realised where proper security is guaranteed for the BRI projects. “You cannot operate in anarchy. Legal guarantees are important for secure agreements,” said Kagwanja.
The relationship between China and Africa should, however, be non-hegemonic and non-authoritative, but a friendship that is cordial and one build on brotherhood so that African can be assisted to develop more rapidly.
Prof Zhang Xiaojing, the Director General of the Institute of Finance and banking at CASS emphasised that China’s development approach, which integrates environmental sustainability, aligns with Africa’s own long aspirations for long term progress.
He singled out the commitment for sustainable energy within the BRI programme, which exemplifies a shared vision for environmentally responsible development.
Another essential component of the BRI is knowledge transfer and capacity building, which equips African professionals with vital technical skills to sustain and manage large scale projects that are being developed across the continent.
“Programmes, such as the Kenya- China Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) partnership are tailored to equip Kenyan youth with technical expertise supporting its development agenda,” said Xiaojing.
The Principle Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Roseline Njogu also highlighted the importance of skills development and called for an engagement that empowers Africa’s youth through knowledge sharing and practical experience from the BRI projects. By Biketi Kikechi, The Standard
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