Kenya’s evangelical churches have condemned government plans to make it tougher for religious bodies and clerics from all faiths to operate.

The move was aimed at stopping the growth of evangelical churches, said the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya. But a leading Anglican cleric welcomed the proposals as an attempt to end the “commercialisation” of religion. The proposals require all religious bodies to register, and for preachers to have police clearance. All religious institutions would also be required to submit their statements of faith to a government-backed body for examination. Christians form the majority in Kenya, while Muslims are the second-largest group.

Their main body, the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims, was also opposed to the proposals, warning they could violate “freedom of worship and amount to a clampdown on religious institutions,” the privately owned The Standard newspaper reports.

The Catholic Church — the largest Christian denomination in Kenya, and to which President Uhuru Kenyatta belongs — has not yet commented on the proposals.

Read the article “Kenya Forcing Churches, Religious Organizations to Register With Government” on bbc.com.