60 new churches being registered every month; Attorney General reveals
60 new churches being registered every month; Attorney General reveals
Attorney General Dorcas Oduor has revealed that her office has been registering nearly 60 churches every month, pointing to the scale of religious organisations seeking official recognition in the country.
Speaking during a 2026 Katiba Day panel at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) on Thursday, August 27, Oduor said the high number of registrations was also accompanied by disputes in some churches, particularly concerning leadership elections.
She said some of these contests become highly contentious and can turn violent, with religious organisations subsequently seeking legal advice from her office over leadership and money matters.
“At the Office of the Attorney General, we are registering almost 60 churches a month. Every time they have elections, they disagree. And elections in churches are more brutal, sometimes fatal; they are very violent, and they still come to us for advice,” she said.
Oduor’s disclosure comes amid ongoing efforts by the government to tighten oversight of religious organisations following concerns over abuse and extremist practices in some churches.
Currently, Kenya has more than more than 4,000 registered churches, underlining the scale of the sector based on the 2019 census.
In 2022, the government tightened the church registration process by requiring applicants to submit theological qualifications from recognised institutions, valid certificates of good conduct and tax compliance or exemption certificates for each official.
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Applicants are also required to provide identification documents, KRA PINs, while founders must disclose their involvement in other religious societies and obtain a recommendation from a registered religious organisation in good standing.
In 2023, President William Ruto established a taskforce chaired by Reverend Mutava Musyimi to review the legal and regulatory framework governing religious organisations.
The taskforce was formed after the Shakahola deaths, in which more than 400 people died following teachings by pastor Paul Mackenzie and his Good News International Church.
The Attorney General used the church disputes to make a broader point that conflicts over power and leadership are not limited to civic politics.
Her remarks come as churches continue to feature prominently in political activities ahead of the 2027 General Election, with government officials holding meetings and events in faith-based settings, while religious leaders call for peaceful political participation and seek to address election-related tensions.
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