Maina Njenga denies responsibility in Kitengela killings

NAIROBI, KENYA: Former Mungiki leader Maina Njenga has denied responsibility for the Kitengela killings, saying he is not fighting for land with anybody and no longer controls the sect.

Maina, now a bishop at Hope International Ministries which has been at the centre of violent brawls in the past, instead blamed a man called Thiong’o Kagicha for dragging his name into the chaos that culminated with the exhumation of 10 bodies in an abandoned quarry earlier this week.

“I am not in control of Mungiki. I am only in control of my destiny which is to go to heaven. I fractured my fingers while exercising and didn’t get medical attention for about a week so it got swollen. Rumours about me being hacked are, therefore, total nonsense,” said Njenga in an exclusive interview with The Nairobian on his sprawling Kitengela farm.

Last week, there were rumours that Maina’s Kitengela church had been burnt down. But when The Nairobian contacted police in the area, they said no such thing had happened although 10 litres of petrol (in two five-litre containers) was found near the church; indicating ill motives of some people to burn down the church.

Their efforts were however thwarted by the guards within the church compound. Spate of killings Thirty minutes after speaking to this writer, Maina walked into Kajiado County Commissioner Kobia wa Kamau’s office, where he was grilled for more than five hours by Kobia, the county police commandant Titi Kilonzi and his administration police counterpart.

“The subject of our meeting today stemmed from a story published in The Nairobian. We were concerned whether Mungiki had started operating in Kitengela. That’s why we summoned everybody who was mentioned in the story, as well as direct our officers to start investigations so that we can know whether the story in The Nairobian had any basis,” said Kobia.

The county commissioner also revealed that the recent spate of killings in Kitengela is based on squabbles over land owned by East Africa Portland Cement Company.

“There are 15,000 acres of land, owned by the cement parastatal. In our interviews and investigations, we have singled out six suspects who run cartels that subdivided the land, placed beacons and promised to sell to gullible Kenyans the piece of land,” said Kobia.

“They are selling 50 by 100 plots at Sh60,000. And they are also fighting amongst themselves over the land,” added Kobia, saying, “People should be wary. These are conmen and I promise Kenyans that my office will deal with them as soon as investigations are over.”

He, however, said it will take a few more days to investigate whether Mungiki are actually involved in the killings in Kitengela. “This is a security matter, and I can’t tell you everything, but so far, I can only say, let us do our work, and you will see the results,” said Kobia.

Later that the evening, this writer met Maina in his Kitengela home. He admitted that several Mungiki members backslid because they found it difficult to convert and stick to Christian doctrine.

“I can’t force anybody to change. I only pray, counsel and urge other people. The church has Luos, Kalenjins, Taitas, even Congolese, it is wrong to assume the church only belongs to Mungiki adherents,” Njenga clarified. Maina also refused to discuss his wife who was brutally murdered in 2007 saying he had forgiven her killers.

“That’s not an issue I want to dwell on. Losing a spouse is a very traumatising thing for me and my children. I pray every day for strength to take care of my children, and I have forgiven them and they should also ask God for forgiveness,” he said. He, however, says he has no plans to re-marry yet.

“I want my children to grow up. I will marry when they grow up, but everything is in the hands of God. When the right time comes, He will direct me,” he added.

During its peak, Mungiki was reported to be collecting more than Sh2 million every day through extortion rackets. So, we asked Maina Njenga about his current source of income since he claims to be no longer in charge of Mungiki.

“I get funding through my businesses and the biggest chunk comes from people who fund the church. In fact, nowadays I sleep well at night since I know that I don’t go about offending anybody.

I only serve God and church members and God has rewarded me handsomely,” says Maina. He also reveals that he has stopped driving around in flashy and expensive fuel guzzlers.

“Look at this car,” he says pointing at an old Mitsubishi Pajero. “I prefer this car. Vehicles for me nowadays are merely a means of locomotion. A way to get from point A to point B,” he says.

“Let’s not pretend, I was not a saint, and nobody is a saint, but still I have no justification for my past behaviour and I can’t even give an excuse, all I can ask for is forgiveness.

I wish I had seen the light earlier, and served God from a young age. My biggest regret is that I didn’t start serving God earler. But I try as much as possible to make up for the lost time,” says Maina.

“He is a man on the move. He always has meetings or crusades. In between the day, he can spend up to six hours meeting people, counselling couples whose marriage has hit the rocks and sorting out church issues. He could be in Nakuru in the morning, but spend the night in Mombasa,” says a close aide.

Moving into farming Apart from preaching, Maina Njenga is a keen farmer. As the sun sets and we take a walk in his expansive Kitengela farm, Maina proudly shows off his maize and cassava plantation. “I tilled that myself, not the whole of it, but a big bit. I love farming and I hope one day, when I retire from the church, I will be a fulltime farmer.”