Lugari Deputy County Commissioner, Mr. Ochillo Oyugi has issued a stern warning to clerics and faithful in the sub county against involving themselves in fraudulent activities.
Oyugi was responding to concerns raised by area Registrar of Persons, Mr. John Omega during the maiden Sub Registration County Committee (SCRC) meeting.
Omega had accused some clerics of interfering with operations at his department by colluding with fraudsters in selling fake baptismal cards to individuals seeking to have national identity cards.
Omega observed that conmen and a section of genuine pastors have been selling fake baptismal cards to desperate identity cards applicants in the sub county.
“We have a group of conmen who in conjunction with operators of printing and photocopying services, fleece cash from unsuspecting wananchi before dishing them with fake baptismal cards,” reported Omega.
The officer cited numerous cases in which applicants after being chased away from his office with fake baptismal cards immediately returned with different but still unauthentic ones.
Praising the Catholic, ACK and Lutheran churches for honest and firmness, the official, however, blamed the rest churches in the area for entrenching the vice.
While expressing his disappointment, Oyugi heavily condemned involvement of mainstream church leaders in corruption and other evil related activities, “when ironically the same clerics are supposed to guide the faithful away from evil, immorality and crime,” noted the DCC.
The Sub County boss directed the Sub County Criminal Investigation Officer, Mr. Joseph Katsungu, to investigate the matter and warned that all those found culpable of the fraudulent offence will be arrested and taken to court, regardless of their position in society.
“This is because registration of persons is an important activity that directly or indirectly affects security of the country. Thus we can’t allow anybody to play around with such a serious, delicate and demanding activity,” stated the DCC.
The DCC has promised to convene a meeting with church leaders from all denominations in the sub county in connection with the above allegations, which he considers to be grave.
