Government closes Maina Njenga church over alleged links to Mungiki sect

By Kibiwott Koross and Ponciano Odongo; Friday, July 4th 2014 

Kitengela, Kenya: The Government has closed Maina Njenga’s church in Kitengela for being associated with the outlawed Mungiki sect.

New Kajiado County Commissioner Harsama Kelo, yesterday, said all activities at the Hope International Ministries church had been suspended following complaints by locals.

Mr Kelo said investigations had established that killing of seven people whose bodies were found buried in a quarry in April was done inside the church.

About 50 security officers drawn from the Rapid Deployment Unit were deployed to guard the Church.

No one was allowed to gain entry while another dozen General Service Unit personnel were seen patrolling Kitengela town.

Addressing a public baraza in Kitengela, Kelo said: “We have resolved to close this church following complaints by residents and subsequent investigations, which has showed that Mungiki carry out their activities inside the Church. We have also established that people who have opposing views are killed there and Mungiki adherents who have shifted base to Kitengela are taking oath inside the church.”

He asked the Hope Ministries to relocate their church out of Kitengela, a move that was supported by Kajiado Senator Peter Mositet who said the local leadership was not going to allow a church involved in criminal activities in the county.

A tussle between the Maasai community and Njenga started in April when a secret mass grave was unearthed and five bodies retrieved.

The secret mass grave in the Empakasi area ignited the conflict as the locals pointed accusing finger to the church that opened its doors in the area late last year in Kitengela town.

A month later, Maasai community leaders barred Njenga from burying his wife and others who died in a shoot-out along Nyahururu-Nakuru highway with the locals insisting he should bury them in their ancestral home.

He has since moved to court seeking to be given orders to bury the deceased.

A fortnight ago there were reports that the bodies including that of Njenga’s wife were to be moved from the mortuary to the church leader’s home at Nkurunka.

Four graves, two adjacent to each other within the compound and two others outside the main compound were allegedly to be used to bury the bodies.

But on Wednesday, Njenga denied his church being associated with Mungiki activities.

 Speaking to journalists at his Karen home, Njenga asked the police to arrest the Mungiki suspects in Kitengela if any.

He said it was unconstitutional to deny him to worship in his church blaming the Government for siding with the local community to block burial of his late wife on his land at Kitengela.