by RACHEL MUTHONI
Joseph Macharia, a member of the Holy Ghost Church in East Africa leaving a Nakuru children court after being charged for neglecting his children by failing to take them to hospital. PHOTO/Rachel Muthoni
In a bid to keep their religious faith, some Kenyan parents do not take their children to hospitals, even for the most basic immunization. Such parents believe that only God heals and seeking conventional medicine is like worshiping idols.
Section 53(c) of the Constitution of Kenya gives all children indiscriminative right to access of health, nutrition and shelter. But the same constitution, under section 32(1), gives all Kenyans the freedom of thought, religion and conscience. While the law requires parents to seek conventional medicine including immunization for their children, parents who opt for “freedom of worship” ignore the children’s law. It is a clash between medicine, law and health.
In a recent incident, Joseph Macharia of the Church of the Holy Ghost in East Africa would not take his children to hospital. His religious faith would not allow him to seek conventional medicine, even after two of his children passed away in a span of 24 hours. Neighbors reported his case to the local chief at Njoro, Rift Valley and his two other children, both of who were sickly, were discovered. Macharia was taken to court and remained in remand until he agreed that he would take his children to hospital when the magistrate released him.
On a Tuesday afternoon, the children’s magistrate Gerald Mutiso invited the elders of Church of the Holy Ghost in East Africa to explain why their followers do not seek medication. There were several court officials, including clerk and prosecutor, and the elders of the church. I was the only ‘guest’ invited by the magistrate because I had told him that I have interest in matters touching on children. I also had covered the case when Macharia had been charged.
My main interest in this story is to understand this religion and weigh its belief against conventional medicine versus the children’s right to quality healthcare. I believe I have a responsibility as a journalist to listen to both sides of a story in order to be objective. Perhaps highlighting a case such as this would make the government stricter on parents who fail to take their children for treatment. I want to know why parents would not feel the death of their children, even when they could have prevented such deaths.
All the ten elders present had three pages of papers, typed with over 60 bible verses, allegedly prohibiting going to hospital. “Lets go to Leviticus 26:14-26, where the bible states that God brings diseases to people who do not obey Him,” said the church’s priest, who for unknown reason refused to give his name even to the prosecutor. “Members of the Holy Ghost Church of East Africa keep off sin and are therefore, automatically ‘immune’ from contacting diseases,” the priest explained.
Women’s International Perspective for more