Members of the controversial Tent of the Living God sect have denied claims that they planned to circumcise women by force. They termed the allegations as malicious.
At the same time, hundreds of the sect members gathered for worship at Nairobi's Kariokor roundabout in the absence of their spiritual leader, Mr Ngonya wa Gakonya. The ceremony was conducted by his assistant, Mr Mwaura wa Gathenduri.
Mr Gakonya and 38 sect members are in police custody after being charged with holding an illegal meeting. They appeared before a Makadara court accused of holding the meeting along Koinange Street on April 30. The court rejected their bail application to allow for completion of the investigations and ordered that their case be mentioned on May 9.
The sect has recently differed with the government and human rights groups over its stand on female genital mutilation.
Last month, hand-written leaflets alleged to have been authored by the sect were circulated in parts of Kiambaa and Kikuyu divisions of Kiambu, warning women aged between 13 and 65 years to undergo the rite or be forcibly circumcised.
Yesterday Mr Mwaura said despite their stand on the issue, female genital mutilation remained a women's affair and men in the sect had nothing to do with it. "The government has enough security machinery to investigate such claims," he said.
Mr Mwaura, however, maintained that there was no animosity between the government and the sect.
"All we want is our freedom to worship which is guaranteed all Kenyans," he told the Nation.
The sect requires its members to worship the traditional God of the Gikuyu and to perform religious rituals. The followers also distanced themselves from the controversial Mungiki sect, saying the two were only similar in their religious regalia and other characteristics.