Atheists cry foul after being barred from visiting children’s home in Kiambu
President of Atheists in Kenya Harrison Mumia. He has written to Youth and Gender Affairs Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki complaining after his group was barred from visiting NEST Children’s Home in Limuru. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- NEST Director, Ms Baumgartner, confirmed she received a call from the department asking her to bar the group from visiting.
- The atheists had planned to visit the children’s home “to donate food, clothes and stationery in support of the children.”
- On November 11 the Children’s Department in Limuru instructed the director of the Home, Ms Irene Baumgartner, not to allow them to visit.
Atheists in Kenya have protested to the Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs saying they are being discriminated against by the Children’s Department after being barred from visiting a children’s home in Limuru.
According to their letter to the ministry, the department has banned them from visiting NEST Children’s Home in Limuru.
This comes even after the home’s management allowed them to make the visit which was set for November 26, 2016.
“We want to take issue with the Children’s Department in the country for what seems to be blatant discrimination against atheists in Kenya.
“The decision by the Children’s Department to stop atheists from visiting the NEST Children’s Home reeks of religious extremism and is in a bad taste,” said the President of Atheists in Kenya, Harrison Mumia, in the letter to Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki sent on Monday.
The atheists had planned to visit the children’s home “to donate food, clothes and stationery in support of the children.”
However, they were informed on November 11 that the Children’s Department in Limuru had instructed the director of the Home, Ms Irene Baumgartner, not to allow them to visit.
DID NOT GIVE REASONS
According to the atheists, the director told them that she was acting on instructions by the department in Limuru but did not give further reasons.
“It is a violation of our fundamental rights and freedoms. We shall not allow atheists to be treated like second-class citizens of this country by any individual, State organ or institution,” Mr Mumia said.
“Our aim was to donate food, clothes and stationery in support of the children,” he said.
The Nation spoke to the NEST Director, Ms Baumgartner, who confirmed that she received a call from the department asking her to bar the group from visiting the home.
“I am not the one who banned them. I received a call from the Children’s office in Kiambu and was directed not to allow them because they have a court case,” Ms Baumgartner said.
