This archive report was first published on 1 November 2019.
Published on November 1, 2019, a Nigerian pastor has been quizzed by police over the spread of occultism in Nairobi. The pastor, who leads a Winners Chapel church, is among several clerics accused of luring vulnerable Kenyans into cultism.
According to sources, at least 10 other foreigners, mostly Nigerians, have been lined up for questioning. They had been granted work permits to work as clerics but were allegedly linked to occult practices.
Police have mapped parts of Nairobi, Embu, Kitui, and Kericho as being notorious for occultism, with reported cases showing deep-rooted practices where individuals exhibit unusual characteristics or kill for promotion.
DCI boss George Kinoti has warned about rising cases of cultism, citing the death of Ferdinand Ongeri, who was found dead in a forest in Nandi with excessive bleeding. An autopsy revealed that Ongeri died from excessive bleeding.
Kinoti also mentioned the macabre murder of Catholic priest Fr Michael Kyengo in Embu on October 9, which was linked to a ritual meant to enable the killers be promoted or recognised in a cult.
Police have issued a warning about a group called the Young Blud Saints, which targets university students in Nairobi, requiring them to sacrifice what they love most to prove their loyalty to the organisation.
