Four shot dead as Legio Maria factions clash over key shrine

Four people were shot dead and scores injured yesterday as worshippers engaged police in running battles during the annual pilgrimage of Legio Maria Church of Africa in Migori County.

 A car was torched and several police vehicles pelted with stones as two groups of faithful engaged in an intense fight over the control of Got Kwer shrine, which has been in dispute for years.

Those injured, including a police officer, were admitted to Migori County Referral Hospital.

Trouble started when a faction led by Raphael Adika, who claims to be the pope of the church, attempted to access the hill, which acts as the church’s headquarters.

A splinter group that supports Raphael Ochieng as the pope quickly repulsed them with a hail of stones as other faithful who had accompanied Adika fled for their safety.

Police officers fired in the air several times and lobbed teargas canisters to disperse the groups in vain as they continued to hurl stones at each other.

Amid chants of “Ave Ave Maria”, the unruly faithful engaged the police for several hours as the two groups fought over access to worship at the shrine.

The group of worshippers attacked a police officer who was part of the group that had travelled with Adika.

The other group, led by Ochieng, which has been holding prayers on the hill for the last few days since the pilgrimage began, claimed that Adika and his followers were invading their territory.

 They said they did not recognise him as their pope and he was an imposter who had come to interfere with the remains of the church founder, Papa Mesia Simeo Ondeto Cardinal Francis Limo, who was among the church leaders who were leading prayers at the pilgrimage, said the invasion was unacceptable.

“We were doing our annual pilgrimage and it has been peaceful. Unfortunately, a group we separated with several years ago invaded our prayers,” he said.

Since the death of Ondeto 27 years ago, the church has not known peace, with the anniversary of his death marked with pockets of violence every year.

The followers believe Ondeto will be back and hold the hill, where he was buried, as a holy special place.

The 100-acre hill was named Got Kwer to mean the hill of cursing the evil spirits.

Both Adika and Ochieng claim to be the pope of the church and have been fighting to control the “holy” hill.

 Attempts to reach Adika for comments were futile as his phone went unanswered.