Faith tested by fear: Rising attacks on clergy shake Western Kenya

After months of a string of abductions, extra judicial killings, forceful arrests and disappearances targeting various cadres of people in Kenya, in Western region the disturbing happenings have taken a new twist with religious leaders now being targeted.

In the recent past, the region has witnessed a terrifying rise in attacks and abductions targeting men of the cloth who are now living in fear with many finding it hard to be protected under the name of the Lord.

The trend has instilled fear among religious leaders while raising questions on the motive of the attacks following the latest incident involving Pastor Wycliffe Khisa of the Kenya Assemblies of God (KAG), Lubao.

The man is currently fighting for his life after being brutally attacked and hacked with a hoe by a relative, Oscar Ndati Muchiti, in Shihingo village, Lubao, Shinyalu Sub-County. 

Pastor Khisa was on his way to inspect a farm belonging to a colleague in Nairobi.

The colleague entrusted him with overseeing the fencing work and asked Khisa to step in due to the long distance and the urgent task. 

Little did Khisa know that a simple visit to assist a friend would result in a life-threatening encounter.

While on the way to the farm, he was accosted by Oscar Ndati Muchiti, a relative who allegedly harboured deep personal resentment against the pastor. 

Muchiti attacked Khisa with a hoe, hitting him repeatedly leaving the man severely injured. The pastor was rushed to Kakamega General Referral Hospital. According to his family, he was in critical condition. 

Course of justice

Shinyalu Constituency Police Commander Daniel Mukubu who regretted the incident, issued a stern warning to anyone thinking of taking the law into their own hands, maintaining that justice must take its course. 

“No one should take the law into their own hands. The suspect has been arrested and is currently at the Shisasari Police Station, where he is awaiting arraignment in court,” Mukumbu stated.

Margaret Muchiti, the suspect’s mother expressed her shock and sorrow over the events that led to the attack.

“I cannot believe that my son could do such a thing. This is a tragic situation for all of us,” said Margaret.

She said that her son woke up unhappy and unsettled on the fateful day, little did she know that he was going to harm the man of God. 

“I greeted him in the morning when I woke up while he was seated outside in the compound, but he didn’t answer me back. I suspect that something was amiss with him,” recalled Margaret.

She added that after a few hours, she heard screams only to find that his son had attacked the pastor.

The suspect’s wife, Robai Machanja, said that her husband was in a bad mood the whole night, which made her uncomfortable, and was forced to sleep outside.

“He kept talking to himself the whole night while issuing threats. I was afraid so I left the house and locked myself in an adjacent house within our compound,“ said Robai.

According to Robai, the pastor came to their home the following morning and borrowed some tools, then proceeded to the site.

“My husband was very angry and pretended to greet the man of God only for him to hold him close and start cutting him. The pastor tried to run for his life but fell. I was forced to scream for help,” she added.

She said that neighbours came to the scene rescued the pastor and rushed him to hospital.

“They tied my husband with a rope and then called the police who came and arrested him. It’s shocking and we are yet to establish what upset him,” recounted Robai.

A week ago, believers of the African Divine Church in Malava Sub-County, Kakamega County were attacked by an unknown gang during night prayers.

According to Silungai Location Chief Harison Muyundo, several congregants were injured during the attack that saw sound systems, chairs, tables, and musical instruments stolen.

“We are looking for the suspects who attacked the faithful while in the church in the middle of prayers, several people were injured, and a lot of items were destroyed and stolen. From what we have gathered, the attack is allegedly associated with a disputed piece of land that the church is sitting on, but we are doing our investigations to establish the truth,” said Silungai.

Traumatic incidents

Not long ago, Pastor Stephen Wanyonyi, a church leader in Bungoma County, was kidnapped by unknown assailants while leaving his church in the evening. 

Wanyonyi’s family and church members worked tirelessly to secure his freedom, but the traumatic experience left him deeply shaken. His wife said that the incident haunted and caused them trauma.

“It was a terrifying time for us. We had no idea whether he was alive or dead. The abduction was completely random, and we were left in the dark for days,” recalled his wife, Grace Wanyonyi.

Around the same timei in Vihiga County, a family at Wamage village found itself in a dilemma after their kin who is a cleric was allegedly abducted by unknown people.

Pastor Ben Omollo of Evojo Pentecostal Assemblies of God went missing at his home in what the family believes was an abduction. 

Led by his wife Nancy Omollo, they called on investigative agencies to help unravel the whereabouts of the cleric.

Pastor Omollo is said to have been abducted after he stepped out of his house to answer to the call of nature. 

Nancy said Omollo woke up early to prepare for the Sunday sermon only to disappear.

“When I realised that my husband had taken over 20 minutes outside, I got worried and went out to look for him, but he was nowhere to be seen,” said Nancy.

Nancy raised an alarm and a search party was launched in the village. One of his shoes was found abandoned at the gate and another on the road.

The 45-year-old father of three is said to be a regular early riser as he uses the morning to prepare for his sermons.

Church politics

Pastor Omollo would later return home a disturbed man after a week in the wilderness and in the hands of his abductors who to date he has no information about who they were and what their mission was.

The case was reported at Kilingili Police Station under Occurrence Book number 08/27/10/2024 and detectives are conducting investigations.

Two months ago, sleuths from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Vihiga and Kakamega counties launched a probe into the alleged abduction of the then Pentecostal Assemblies of God-Kenya (PAG-K) General Superintendent, Bishop Patrick Lihanda.

The alleged mysterious disappearance of the clergy came hours before an election where he was set to face off against two others as he sought to defend his seat in the election that took place on October 1, 2024.

A report made at Mbale Police Station shows that Lihanda had gone missing under mysterious circumstances.

According to his close friends and staff, Bishop Lihanda left the Nyang’ori PAG headquarters around 4pm on his way to a meeting in Mbale town in Vihiga County.

His driver told the police that he later received a distress message from the church’s head that his life was in danger.

Unknown men

The bishop’s phone would later go off leading the driver to report the matter to Mbale Police Station.

“When the Bishop failed to answer my second message inquiring about his whereabouts, I decided to report the issue to the police,” said Felix Adoli, the driver.

This prompted the Directorate of Criminal Investications (DCI) officers to track the phone’s location to Mumias where the bishop’s vehicle, eyeglasses, diary, and bible were found. 

A few days later Bishop Lihanda resurfaced at Ukwala Police Station in Siaya County where he reported that he was dropped off by unknown men who had abducted him.

The bishop looked weak and disturbed, but he was unhurt by his alleged unknown abductors.

The religious leader was at the centre of controversy surrounding the leadership of the PAG church and the election, which had failed to take place for six years.

The alleged abductions happened after a Vihiga court on July 11, 2024, ordered the church to conduct its elections within 60 days as per their constitution of 1998.

During August’s General Superintendent nominations, the PAG Church Kawangware District Overseer Kenneth Adiara emerged winner after garnering 1,670 votes, against Dr Christopher Kilasi’s 1,288 while the incumbent by then General Superintendent, Lihanda was third with 1,040 votes.

Leadership wrangles in the church can be traced back to 2015, but escalated in 2018 and 2019 following disagreements over the election of the General Superintendent and officials in over 128 church districts across the country.

The motive behind these attacks are often unclear. However, Peter Litu, a Kakamega resident said most abductions involving men of God are associated with leadership wrangles that result in revenge.

“Most of our preachers fight due to control of resources at the expense of spiritual nourishment, which should be their main role. That is why you see many churches getting involved in endless leadership wrangles, which sometimes result in revenge,” said Litu.

Many pastors are now living in fear, hesitant to travel or even carry out their day-to-day duties. 

In response to these growing threats, church leaders have called for increased protection and attention from both local and national authorities. “We cannot allow fear to control us. We must continue to preach peace, love, and unity, even as we face these challenges,” said one pastor who spoke on condition of anonymity due to safety reasons.