- Ndeda said the majority of Kenyans are already living below the poverty line.
- CCAK termed the increase of fees to access government as unfair and inhumane.
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Pentecostal churches under the umbrella Church and Clergy Association of Kenya (CCAK) have censured the government’s move to increase marriage registration fees and other charges for key citizen services.
The association said increasing the fees will encourage moral decadence as a majority of young people will shy away from registering their marriages in a godly way.
CCAK national chairman Hudson Ndeda pleaded with President William Ruto to “rethink and retrace” his board room decision saying the Head of State promised people “a government for the hustler.”
“As the church, we are more concerned about the increase in marriage registration fees. It is with no doubt that the church is a key stakeholder in this area since we are responsible for buying marriage books and officiating marriages,” he said.
Addressing a press conference in Nairobi, Ndeda said the majority of Kenyans are already living below the poverty line.
“We have a responsibility to blow the trumpet as the bible commands in Ezekiel 33:3-5 when certain societal ills and injustice are left unchecked,” he added.
He termed the increase of fees to access government as unfair and inhumane.
The government increased marriage processing charges at the Attorney General's office from Sh5,000 to Sh50,000.
Couples battling the high cost of living and looking to formalise their marriage at the Attorney General’s (AG’s) office will have to dig deeper into their pockets if the new charges take effect.
The High Court has since issued temporary orders halting the implementation of the planned increase in service fees for key citizen services.
Milimani High Court Judge Lawrence Mugambi issued the conservatory orders suspending the increase of various services including Identity Card replacement, passport acquisition, and marriage certificates as gazetted on November 6, 2023, by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki.
The judge suspended the fees pending the hearing and determination of a case lodged in court by a Nakuru Doctor Magari Gikenyi challenging the legality of the newly imposed fees.
"A conservatory order be and is hereby issued suspending Gazette Notices No. 15239-15242 dated November 6 2023 and/or any other document purporting to give authority to increase or review the charges/fees/levies specified therein pending the hearing and determination of this application," the ruling stated.
Among the services that were to be affected by the increased fees and levies include; verification fees (IPRS), citizenship fees, permanent residence fees, registration of births and deaths fees, visa fees, passport fees, work permit fees and Identity Card (ID) fees.