Perverted pastor who defiled minors in God's name faces jail

When Pastor James Njuguna defiled boys for the first time, he told the innocent victims that the fluid was the blood of Jesus entering and cleansing them.

And when he defiled girls who attended his church located in Kajiado, the perverted shepherd of Christ's flock informed them that they should face up as he intended to build a covenant with them.

After he was done with his heinous act, he would tell them that was oil from God. Njuguna would have gotten away with the wicked behaviour were it for one of his victims getting pregnant.

When he discovered that the proverbial 40 days of a thief had come, court proceedings before Milimani Chief Magistrate's Court read that Njuguna took a jembe stick and hit the pregnant girl on the stomach.

The pregnancy, like a sore toe, continues to haunt him. The pastor is now an order away from joining other convicts in prison to pay for his sins committed at his home and the sanctuary.

The victim who we call M to conceal her identity is the mother of an eight-year-old child. The child born in 2015 was the scientific evidence that nailed Njuguna.

During the hearing, Njuguna had denied the first DNA results that confirmed him 99.9 per cent to be the father of the infant. A second one was done and the results turned positive again, sealing his fate. Milimani Magistrate Caroline Njagi has found him guilty of defiling two teens who were bold enough to endure the grilling in court, to tell the truth.

"He was of sound mind when he repeatedly defiled the complainants herein together with other children while using religious connotations and manipulations to perpetrate these offences against the minors. As such, I find that the two minors were truthful witnesses and their evidence was corroborated with medical evidence," said Justice Njagi.

In the case, Njuguna faced two counts of defilement and two counts of committing indecent acts with minors in Bondeni area, Kajiado North sub-county. This happened between December 2014 and January 7, 2015.

The first victim was a 14-year-old boy codenamed PNM. He told the court that during the school holiday, Njuguna invited him alongside other two boys to his house. They were welcomed, took a shower, ate dinner, and slept in one of the bedrooms.

The following day, Njuguna's wife left for work. It was then that Njuguna came in, blindfolded the boy, and defiled him. He told him that his private parts carried oil from God.

When the school was about to resume, the man summoned the victim again and repeated the unthinkable act in the name of God. He assaulted the boy whenever he cried and told him alongside his two friends that it was the blood of Jesus entering and cleansing them whenever he defiled them. There was another boy we codenamed K. PNM who testified that Njuguna would make them suck his private parts at night, and then defile them during the day.

A medical doctor confirmed that the minor was defiled. The other victim was Mary. She was born on August 18, 2000. She narrated that friend called C invited her to pastor Njuguna's church known as First Born of the Holy Spirit.

M told the court that one Sunday, she went to church without her friend.

After the service, she remained for dance practice with other children. There were about five kids on that day, she recalled. Njuguna sent them to take drums to the store. Inside the storeroom was a curtain diving it into two.

The man asked the kids to go to different parts and gave them 'anointing oil' to drink and apply some on their faces.

'Make a covenant'

He asked them to repeat the Lord's Prayer and asked girls to remove their clothes and sleep on the bed as he was to make a covenant with them.

He applied oil on his private part, starting with the first girl, then the second but the third one struggled with him amidst beatings.

When he was done, he threatened them not to ever tell anyone. He then called the boys who were with the girls and ordered them to defile them.

The following Sunday, he pulled a laptop, placed it on the table in the church and told them to watch pornographic content. Thereafter, he ordered them to do exactly what they had seen.

Njuguna then took olive oil and instructed them to drink it and apply it to their faces. The man then asked them to recite the Lord's prayer seven times. As they prayed, he was sodomising the boys and then defiled the three girls.

In his reply, Njuguna claimed that M's mother was his mistress and the minor was his lover. He also claimed to be mentally ill. He admitted defiling her and being the father of the child.