Nairobi News

Ida Odinga has apologized for her remarks on the regulation of churches.

Ida, the wife to seasoned politician Raila Odinga, said, in a statement on Monday, that she’d also taken back the statements she made on the subject seeing that they had been blown out of proportion.

“It’s come to my realization that my comments haven’t sat well with some members of the church. I sincerely apologize for the discomfort caused as I meant no harm to anyone,” she said.

“I also wish to state that my position on the training of preachers was also blown out of context by the media reports circulating online. I reiterate that training only makes the service of preaching better and promotes the ministration of the word of God.”

The apology comes a day after she was reported to have called for the regulation of churches in the country, citing concerns over their ‘mushrooming’.

Speaking during the launch of a book by Archbishop Emeritus Habbakuk Onyango Abogno at the Church of Christ in Kisumu County, Ida is said to have urged the National Council Churches of Kenya (NCCK) to regulate the mushrooming of churches that have been founded on the wrong religious fundamentals.

“We want Kenyans to subscribe to religions that are formally registered and not those whose belief systems are commodified. It is also important that we conduct training for all those who minister the word of God,” she said.

She suggested that some churches may have been set up to make money at the expense of spreading the gospel.