Kenya: Pastor Kanyari's appearance on comedy show sparks outrage

Kenya: Kenyans enraged by pastor Victor Kanyari's appearance on Churchill Live, a local comedy show, on Monday  took to Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms to express their anger.

Since KTN’s Jicho Pevu and Inside Story aired an exposé, which showed the tricks Kanyari used to get money from desperate faithful, he has not to be seen on TV or heard on radio until Sunday when he appeared on Churchill Live.

He was hosted by comedians Daniel Ndambuki (Churchill) and MC Jessy. Pastor Kanyari sought to clear the air about his ministry after the damning exposé.

“People say I ask for Sh310 but between me and Churchill who gets more money? These people are so many. Hawa watu wakipanda mbegu... (If they plant a seed...) My church does not have people as beautiful as those on your show,” he told Churchill amid cheers.

Pastor Kanyari said the controversial Sh310 offering he asks for was inspired by a Bible verse, Malachi 3:10 which stated that: Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

The Form Two drop out said he is glad that he has people who love him and “wanavumilia ujinga wangu” (they put up with my foolishness).

Kanyari said he once prayed for a woman who was barren and she conceived. As a sign of gratitude, he said, the woman gave him a Range Rover Sport.

He said faithful he has prayed for shower him with gifts, and even bragged that everything he was wearing that day was imported and the shoes are not available locally.

Asked the biggest offering, which he prefers to call ‘Mbegu’ meaning seed, Kanyari said  a man once gave him Sh6 million. He said he prayed for the man and a few days later, the man sold land in Karen.

Breast cancer

He said he used the money to build a school for children living with disabilities in Ruai, Nairobi.

He admitted to holding a woman’s breast but sought to clarify that he did so because she had breast cancer. He claims that after praying for her, she got healed and is not even complaining that he touched her breast.

On the same breath, MC Jessy sought to know whether he would touch a man who was sterile in the ‘sick’ area, to which Kanyari said he would only pray for him.

He said he and KTN’s Mohammed Ali are still friends and his ministry is doing well and will soon return on a local TV station.

“If I broke any law I would be in jail because I am not above the law. I cannot be like your pastor, take me as I am. Your pastor talks about going to heaven, others talk of getting saved I talk of the seed,” he said.

He told people to lift their money and wallets and went ahead to pray for them. But even with all the glamour and cheering, all this did not go down well with some viewers who took to social media to air their displeasure.

Churchill’s sentiments that “we celebrate you” in refence to Kanyari also did not go down well with Kenyans