Church Senator Raises Concerns Over N.P.O. Bill

Alvin Benguche

The N.P.O. Bill does however contain far-reaching implications for the churches, as they will now be required to register as N.P.O.’s under the new law. Church Senator Bishop Alvin Moses Benguche argues that the N.P.O. Bill does not give consideration to the church. According to Bishop Benguche, the church is willing to assist the government is complying with the international obligations being set out, but he described the bill as a creature foreign to the church. He gave the following explanation.

Alvin Benguche, Church Senator

“When we look at a bill of this nature we have to ask ourselves how does the church fit into a bill of this nature where we are asked to be listed under NPO and that which will bring us under certain restrictions and I want to point to some of them. Case in point, where it speaks to the controller in the church, there is no such controller as such in that in the church it is the bishop and it is the head of the church that if we should use this secular term who is the controller and should that person be found responsible or liable it is the controller or the bishop who is called upon to answer in that regard. I point that out because in other sections, sections sixteen and seventeen of section two, you will find out too that when that person is found culpable you will find that that person is hauled before the court. And, that person it is also indicated that under that section the head of the church and what is being asked here in that specific section if the person or the entity is found guilty n anyway that body comes under the control of whoever will be put in charge of the body. It means that that controller that is then seconded to the bishop or the head of the church takes over an institution that actually the head was in the first place an ecclesiastical person not a secular controller that is asked to take control of that body.”