City bishop goes into hiding after threats over Wanjiru's church

Bishop Peter Maithya of Gospel Victory Church

A city bishop has gone into hiding after receiving threats from unidentified individuals.

Bishop Peter Maithya, from Gospel Victory Church, says his life is at risk due to his defence of Jesus is Alive Ministries, from demolition.

The church is associated with Bishop Margret Wanjiru.

Maithya reported being followed by suspicious individuals after the 8 March attack on Wanjiru's church.

Initially dismissing these occurrences as coincidences, he later realised the threats were genuine.

"I had to leave everything behind and go into hiding for my safety," said Maithya.

"The threats became too real and I couldn't take the risk of returning."

His wife, Mary, also received threats demanding to know Maithya's whereabouts.

Fearing for her safety, she fled to Tanzania. Maithya, unable to return to Nairobi after learning from a trusted friend that alleged operatives were searching for him, has also gone into hiding.

Their daughter is also in hiding.

Maithya has since recorded a statement with Twiga Police Post in Kayole under OB number 10 on 23 March.

According to Maithya, the situation deteriorated when he considered returning to Nairobi.

He was informed by a trusted friend that operatives were actively searching for him, prompting him to seek refuge at an undisclosed location.

In March, unknown assailants vandalised the parking lot wall of Jesus Is Alive Ministries, assaulted Wanjiru, breaking her hand and injuring her security officer.

Wanjiru also alleged that the assailants stole her guard's weapon, camera and phone.

She accused unnamed government agents of orchestrating the attack to stifle dissent within the community.

The bishop claimed the Kenya Kwanza Government ignored her despite her past election campaigns. During the attack, Wanjiru sustained injuries leading her to seek medical attention.

She alleged that individuals identifying as Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and National Intelligence Service (NIS) officers visited the church property before the demolition, alleging the Kenya Railways operatives began demolishing her property and attacked anyone who tried to intervene.

"This Weruga Lane does not belong to Railways; this is our investment, this is our church property," she said.

"To attack the church, destroy our property and steal our phones has caused us great harm."

A Nairobi court previously dismissed a 2022 case challenging the construction of a wall between Kenya Railways' land and Wanjiru's church.

The case, filed by Jesus Is Alive Ministries, Rhambai Patel, S&H Investments and Soma Properties, contested the development that obstructed access to Railway Lane, Exchange Lane, Weruga Lane and Haile Selassie Avenue.

Kenya Railways claimed ownership of the area occupied by Wanjiru's church and her neighbours, alleging irregular property allocations.