The government on Friday appointed an 11-member council tasked with overseeing a gradual reopening of places of worship across the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The council, to be chaired by Archbishop Antony Muheria of the Nyeri Catholic Archdiocese, is required to develop protocols for on-site worship under the prevailing COVID-19 circumstances.
“The council will oversee the resumption of in-person congregational worship and spiritual functions in strict adherence to the containment measures put in place by the government to halt the spread of the COVID-19 in the country,” a joint statement from the health and interior ministries, read.
The council has been allowed to co-opt any other persons to ensure the agreed general standard operating procedures are implemented to the grass-root levels.
The council members are drawn from different religious denominations and include Rev. Rosemary Mbogo, Sheikh Abdulatif Abdukarim and Bishop David Oginde, among others.
The council’s mandate will expire on December 31st 2020, but may be extended at the president’s discretion.
