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Kenyan media personality Lynn Ngugi has found herself in a precarious situation after conducting an interview with a former member of a church allegedly associated with an influential pastor, self-proclaimed as 'Prophet Elijah'
The interview, which has since gone viral, was posted on Lynn's platform on January 23. It features Josephine Lwal, a water and environment engineer, who shed light on controversial practices within the church.
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Former church member reveals disturbing details
In the interview, Josephine courageously recounted her time in the church, which she described as a cult.
She revealed that she joined during her university years but began noticing unsettling 'red flags' as she rose through the leadership ranks.
Josephine detailed the strict rules imposed on members, including specific dress codes and prohibitions on associating with certain individuals.
We were trained to dress in certain way so that we just stand out. And this categorical outfit is expensive. At my lowest when I was just a hustler, but the cheapest regalia was Sh5000.
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She also mentioned that the church leader assumed Biblical titles such as 'The Almighty', 'Most Exalted', and 'Mightiest Prophet', which she found manipulative.
A man of God assuming Biblical names like Abraham. That am Elijah. You want us to call you Elijah the dreadful prophet. Moses, you know.... Miracles are not a measure of Godly setting. Anybody can do it. But here we were being told because of the miracles this man of God is always right. We were even taught a song which says we, the people in this church are right. and the God of this man of God is right.
This man of God started assuming titles like mightiest. You know when you say big bigger biggest, its comparative. so mightiest compared to who? And we were asked to address him that way. Most powerful, most exalted...
Manipulation through fear
Josephine further revealed the subtle ways the church isolated members from the outside world. According to her, they were instructed to listen to a particular radio station throughout the day.
He would say if you listen to radio you are pleasing the kingdom of God... And it denies you time for yourself and or God. By the way you have not been told to separate but subconsioulsy unajipata tu you have separated.
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She recounted the fear tactics used to control members, including threats of eternal damnation for those who left.
When she finally decided to leave the church with a group of others, the pastor allegedly warned them of dire consequences.
The day I decided to leave, and I left with a certain group of people. The man of God said this and this will happen to those who have left. Ushawahi uziwa uoga? Even some of my friends come to my inbox wanakuja kusema come back or else....you'll go to hell.
Josephine criticised the culture of over-defending the church leader, stating, “If you have a man of God, you don’t need to defend him. If he is truly a man of God, let God defend him. But for us, we defended him more than God.”
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Video sparks mixed reactions
Since its release, the video has garnered over 500,000 views and continues to attract attention. Netizens have flooded social media with varied opinions, with some sharing similar experiences and others condemning the alleged practices of the church.
Although Lynn and Josephine did not explicitly name the church or its leader, online users speculated that the revelations pointed to the Holiness and Repentance Church, led by Prophet David Owuor.
Alleged attempts to silence the video
Following the interview's widespread attention, Lynn claimed that the church leader had instructed his followers to report the video to have it taken down from YouTube.
She shared an alleged directive from the pastor, where his congregants were urged to act against the video.
The ‘Mightiest Prophet’ has instructed his flock to report the cult video we posted on our platform. Funny thing is, no one mentioned his name, but the guilty ones are always afraid.
She further questioned the pastor’s reliance on his followers for damage control, sarcastically stating, “Since he’s such a miracle worker, why not perform a quick miracle and make the video disappear from YouTube?”
Public conversations about religious practices
The interview has ignited debates about the influence of religious leaders and the practices within churches.
While some praised Lynn for shedding light on the issue, others criticised her for potentially targeting a specific church.