Kenya has witnessed the rise and fall of flamboyant preachers, drawing huge crowds and collecting millions from the flock before scandals erupt, followed by an equally spectacular fall.
While judging is left to God, Kenya has turned a fertile play-ground for cults and churches with questionable practices.
Money is the currency and in exchange for the same, you can get everything and anything from the preachers.
Pastor Michael Njoroge: Sins of the flesh and fake miracles
Fire Gospel Ministries that was located in Nairobi’s Cabanas area drew huge crowds.
Under the leadership of Pastor Michael Njoroge, it was a haven of ‘miracles’ attracting thousands eager to get the big break in employment, healing, marital problems or any challenges that life brings along.
Needless to say, offerings also grew, with the pastor living a comfortable life that most of his congregation could only dream of.
That was until a scandal involving the pastor’s dealings with prostitutes and staging fake miracles erupted.
In an investigative piece aired by NTV in 2012, Esther Mwende opened up on how the pastor paid her for sex and tabled a proposal in which she would be the main character in fake miracles.
From then on, it was a downhill for the pastor as his cover was blown with his followers
Pastor Michael Njoroge passed on in 2023.
Thomas Wahome: Confirm your name in the book of life at a cost
Led by self-styled prophet Thomas Wahome, Helicopter of Christ church commanded a huge following with its Sunday services airing on a number of TV stations in the country.
Armed with a sweet tongue, prophet Wahome convinced his followers that he has exclusive access to the book of life where the names of those who are destined for heaven are written.
At a cost of Sh1000, Wahome could tell one whether their name is in the book or not and needless to say, his congregation lined up to know their fate.
Those whose names were “missing in the book of life” would pray and repent and check periodically if their names had since been included. If you name was already in the ‘book of life’ you were also required to check if it was still there or had been deleted. This way, the self-styled preacher created an endless chain of supply and demand.
It was not long afterwards that the inevitable happened and what was once a thriving enterprise was reduced to a shell of its former self with just a handful of followers.
Prophetess Lucy Nduta: The HIV/AIDS cure that never was & imprisonment
Prophetess Lucy Nduta among the pioneers of commercial gospel in which prayers, oils, blessings and cure for diseases are sold to those who can afford while those who cannot are left to their own devices.
Capitalising on the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Lucy Nduta convinced those infected that she could cure them through prayers at a cost.
Like a good businesswoman, Nduta had different packages for her congregation. Those who heeded her special healing prayers had to part with Sh1000 which was good money back then, just as it is today. Those who could not afford were left to do with normal prayers like other church goers and this in itself was an incentive to run around and get money for her healing prayers.
Many sought her services leaving her smiling all the way to the bank as her victims came down with opportunistic infections, all the while hoping that they had been cured.
She was eventually found guilty offering fake HIV cure through miracle prayers at her and jailed for two years.
Victor Kanyari: Learning from the best & evolving with the times
In the case of Lucy Nduta and Prophet Victor Kanyari, a fruit does not fall far from the tree and it was no surprise when Kanyari burst into the scene.
While his mother’s specialty was ‘curing HIV/AIDS’ Kanyari perfected his act, packaging himself a modern-day-prophet and one-stop solution for everything and anything at a cost.
At Kanyari’s, one could get all problems solved at a small cost, from childlessness to HIV/AIDS, cancer and joblessness.
He assembled a team of racketeers and coached them to offer convincing fake testimonies that saw thousands troop to his church.
The proverbial 40 days caught up with him when a leading TV crew went undercover and brought his deeds to light, with his associates confessing of their deeds.
What followed was a mass exodus of the church’s faithful, leaving just a handful.
He has since evolved with the changing times, embracing social media to attract more followers at his church located near Kayole Junction along Kangundo road.