Baptised atheist leader Harrison Mumia renounces rite

Atheists In Kenya president Harrison Mumia speaks at a Nairobi court on November 1, 2017. He has renounced his baptism. PHOTO | PAUL WAWERU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Atheists in Kenya leader Harrison Mumia wants Quakers Church to issue him with a renunciation certificate.
  • Mr Mumia claims he was baptised, when he was a young boy, without consent.

Harrison Mumia, who renounced the Christian faith in the early 2000s to become an atheist, wants his childhood church to revoke his baptism.

The Atheists in Kenya (AIK) President in a letter to Quakers Church in Kakamega seeks to rid himself of ties to religion.

“I would like to formally renounce my baptism and membership in the Quakers Church, Kenya,” Mr Mumia’s says in his letter dated October 17.

Mr Mumia claims he was baptised, when he was a young boy, without consent and wants to be issued with a renunciation certificate signed by a senior member of the Quakers Church “as a confirmation that my request has been accepted.”

“I was baptised at the Quakers Church at Makhokho Secondary School, Kakamega County during my pre-teen years without my consent,” he laments.

He adds: “I want any and all records associated with me at the Quakers Church destroyed.
“As an atheist, I no longer accept the implications of the rite of baptism.”

FATHER'S BURIAL

It is not clear why the atheist leader had not renounced the Christian religious rite until now, but it is believed his recent trip to his rural home in Ikolomani, Kakamega to bury his father, who succumbed to cancer last month, may have triggered the move.

On the day of his father’s burial, October 5, he wrote on his Facebook page, “In an hour, my late dad will be rested! People here think he will go to heaven!”

Atheists do not believe in the existence of God or Satan and AIK has been pushing for the abolishment of religious studies in schools.

“Parents need to stop introducing religion to their children. Allow them to grow up to the age of 18 and let them decide whether they want to be religious or not,” Mr Mumia told the Nation in an earlier interview.