A section of Christian clergy in Malindi, Kilifi County, has strongly condemned the recently concluded Summer Tides Festival, accusing it of promoting immorality, indecent acts and practices contrary to both African cultural values and Christian teachings.
The leaders, drawn from different denominations, convened a prayer meeting at Malindi town’s Cleopatra Grounds on Sunday where they called for repentance and urged authorities to ensure that similar events are never held in the coastal resort town again.
They likened the festival that was patronized by more than 15,000 young revelers to the immorality of Sodom and Gomorrah, warning that such conduct undermines both African traditions, religious values and the moral fabric of society.
The bishops maintained that while Malindi remains a leading tourism destination, entertainment activities should respect local traditions, public decency and the values cherished by traditional African communities.
They appealed to relevant government agencies responsible for licensing such events and security agencies to ensure future events comply with the laws of the land and uphold public morality.
Bishop Thomas Kakala of JCC Church in Malindi said the church could not remain silent after witnessing what he described as open prostitution, public nudity and same-sex behavior during the festival.
“We have come here with one message: to condemn prostitution, homosexuality and the shameful acts that were witnessed during the concluded festival. We have been told that people were walking naked in public. That is something we will never accept in Malindi,” Bishop Kakala, who is the chairman of the Malindi Pastors Fellowship said.
He warned that church leaders would mobilise believers to oppose any future edition of the festival, saying they had learnt from this years’ experience.
“This year we were caught by surprise and remained silent, but that will not happen again. If such an event is planned again, we shall be ready to resist it. We cannot allow our town to be morally contaminated,” he added.
Bishop Kakala explained that the prayer meeting was also meant to seek God’s forgiveness for what the clergy described as acts of desecration and unparalleled moral decay witnessed during the celebrations.
Echoing similar sentiments, Bishop Patrick Mathole of the Soul Harvest Ministries recounted disturbing scenes at Lost Beach, the venue of the three-day festival, that left him struggling to explain to his children what they were seeing.
“I was with my family when my children asked me why some women were walking completely naked while young men were half-naked. I had no answer for them. We have never witnessed such behavior in our region,” he said.
Mathole argued that such conduct undermines African culture adding that such disgraceful acts should not be imported into our country under the guise of entertainment.
“We reject this behavior because it destroys our culture as Africans. We cannot copy everything from the West and make it our way of life. To those behind the Summer Tides Festival, let this be the last time such scenes are witnessed in Malindi,” he declared.
On his part, Bishop Macharia Gichui urged parents, teachers, church leaders and community elders to work together in instilling moral values among young people.
He condemned sponsors of the event for allowing youngsters to engage in immoral activities openly, challenging them to instead invest in initiatives that uphold youth development as well as cultural and spiritual values.
“We have seen children walking naked in our town, something that goes against our traditions and the teachings of the church. We call upon parents to raise their children with discipline and reject festivals that promote nudity, immorality and other practices that erode our values,” he said.
By Shani Rhai/Emmanuel Masha
