Nairobi, Kenya - The cancellation of a registration certificate for the Presbyterian Outreach Mission Church was yesterday reversed until a suit filed against the Registrar of Societies is heard and determined.
Nairobi judge Mathew Emukule directed the parties in the suit to file their substantive documents within a period of 90 days.
Justice Emukule reinstated the certificate given to the church that broke away from the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA).
The judge said the case should be mentioned on March 27 to establish whether the directives have been complied with.
Lawyer for the church submitted that the church had applied for registration early last year, saying that all requirements for registration were placed before the Registrar of Societies.
The lawyer added that an Assistant Registrar of Societies Lucy Njoki Waithaka in a letter to the officials of the church said the organisation was a threat to existing peace.
He stated that no reports had been made to the police regarding the church’s threat to state securitry and therefore said the accusation levelled against the applicant were baseless.
The judge allowed the plea sought by the church, a directive that triggered celebrations among hundreds of faithful who travelled to Nairobi from Narok and Kajiado districts to hear the application.
They jammed the Constitutional and Judicial Review Court and keenly followed the proceedings of the case. An ad hoc prayer session was convened in the scotching sun outside the High Court by members of the church drawn from 82 branches of the break-away church.
Lawyer Kigen while presenting the case for the splinter group said his client was not given an opportunity to be heard against the allegations raised in the letter dispatched from the Registrar of Societies office.
Kigen said the move by the registrar had paralysed the operations of the church which operates schools, hospitals and other services that it sponsors jointly with donors.
The judge was told that the action by Waithaka exposed the officials of the church to criminal sanctions.
The faithful dressed in traditional maasai regalia sang and danced in their native styles after they were informed about the judge’s decision to enable them carry on with their activities.
“We can now hold any Sunday worship service without fear as the court has understood our case. We have not committed any wrong why did the registrar deregister has? We are not a security threat and we conduct our business peacefully. There is freedom of worship.” Reverend Stephen Mpangiroi told the press outside the law courts yesterday.
Presbyterian Outreach Mission Church which broke away from Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) was registered on December 29, 2006 by the Registrar of Societies after meeting the fit and proper criteria that included passing all the necessary security checks.