This archive report was first published on 26 October 2019.
On October 26, 2019, a gruesome murder shook the Catholic community in Kenya. Catholic priest Michael Kyengo was brutally murdered by his male lover, Michael Mutunga, in a ritual sacrifice to the Illuminati cult.
According to investigators, Mutunga had confessed to the crime, stating that he killed the priest as a sacrifice to the Illuminati in exchange for wealth and prosperity. The cult, known as Illuminati Official Clun, is based in Sandton City, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Police investigations revealed that Mutunga had applied to join the cult, promising to sacrifice a close friend or relative in exchange for wealth and opportunities. The cult's website showed that Mutunga had explained his reasons for wanting to join the secret society.
Further investigations led police to a trail of Mpesa transactions made from the slain priest's Mpesa account. The transactions led them to another suspect, Kavivya Mwangangi, who was arrested on Thursday. Mwangangi had told police that he was called by Mutunga and told to rush to the house where the priest had been murdered.
Upon arriving at the house, Mwangangi found the priest lying dead on the sofa. The priest's body was then loaded onto his car and driven to a nearby riverbank where it was buried in a shallow grave. A knife believed to have been used in the murder was retrieved from a pit latrine on the same plot.
Investigations indicate that the priest died after being stabbed in the neck and the stomach. Police had recovered blood-stained clothes, a mobile phone, and SIM card, which were used to receive cash from Kyengo's cellphone, as well as a notebook with details of individuals and their phone numbers.
