The government of Kenya has restored the diplomatic status of the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC), a protestant and evangelical church body.

The status was restored last month when AACC general secretary Rev Dr Mvume Dandala and Kenya's Minister for Foreign Affairs Moses Wetang'ula signed papers spelling out the new status.

Rev. Dandala said the gesture demonstrated that Kenya acknowledged AACC's international status. This, he said, would assist the organisation to improve its role within the country and on the international arena.

Both Wetangula and Dandala illustrated this point when they referred to the role that the AACC played during the post-election crisis in Kenya. The general secretary also referred to AACC's involvement in election monitoring, most recently in Zimbabwe.

The recognition will exempt AACC from paying value added tax, customs duty on imports of equipment, vehicles and even electricity bills for the headquarters in Nairobi.

The AACC president and other dignitaries will be accorded diplomatic treatment to pass through the VIP lounge at national airports.

The recognition also raises the status of AACC within the diplomatic community in Nairobi. All vehicles belonging to the organisation will bear the red number plate with registration KX.