Preparations were in full swing right up to the last minute for an interdenominational prayer meeting in the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi, expected to be attended by President Mwai Kibaki as well as leaders of the various mainline religions in the country.
The Kenyan government declared Friday a public holiday to enable the whole country to join together when it announced National Prayer Day earlier in the week.
Special prayer events have been organised for Kenya’s major cities including Nairobi and Mombassa.
Nairobi Archdiocese administrative secretary with the Catholic Church in Kenya, Fr James Maloba, strongly urged Catholics across the country to get involved with the prayer events. The Catholic Church in Kenya has already played a key role in preparations for the KICC event.
The invitation from the government to join in the National Prayer Day had gone out to other religious groups in the country, according to government spokesman Dr Alfred Mutua, who also encouraged religious leaders to participate in the day of prayer.Dr Mutua urged Kenyans to join in the event by taking time off work to pray for the country.
Meanwhile, Bishop Thomas Kogo of the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Eldoret Diocese urged Kenyans to couple their prayers with repentance for the wrongdoings committed by the people.
The government’s National Prayer Day has been criticised by several MPs, who urged that the president should send security personnel to the troubled North Eastern Province rather than encourage Kenyans to mourn and pray.
Kenyan MP, Ali Wario, said that the country had already mourned the victims of the devastating plane crash last Monday which killed 14 people including the Provincial Secretary of the Anglican Church of Kenya and Personal Assistant to the Archbishop of Kenya, Bishop William Waqo. He added that it was sad more lives were being lost in the fresh outbreak of fighting.
"Instead of asking Kenyans to cry the whole day, the Government should send the army and police to quell the fighting," Wario said.
He said more than prayers were needed for the Eastern and North Eastern regions and that the government should move with speed to stop further killings, reports African news agency AllAfrica.
