Top Five Outrageous Pastors in Kenya

It’s safe to say that a lot of Kenyans are in one way or another religious people. Every Sunday, throughout the country, families gather together dressed in their Sunday best to head off to mass. Some churches even do late morning services so that the men (always the men) who were out late boozing the night before can make the second show.

Many of us gladly heed and follow the advice of wise preachers who tell us they have a closer connection to the Almighty than we do. Over the years though, some of these wise-worded men and women have given us advice that has left us scratching our heads and asking: really?

Nairobi has definitely seen its fair share of unorthodox pastors and if we count the pastors who have come and bestowed their words of wisdom on us from abroad, then the list gets longer. As a result, UP magazine has decided to do a little top of the charts of the five pastors who have behaved in ways we believe to be “unconventional” to say the least.

• Rev. Njohi of Lord’s Propeller Redemption church

We’re not sure if he was doing this for his own personal enjoyment or if he was being genuine, but this Dandora-based pastor asked all is female members to come to church without bras and underwear. His reasoning for the women to go commando was so that: “Christ can enter their lives.” There is one minor glitch to your unusual philosophy, reverend Njohi: what about the men? Do you not want Christ in their lives too? Or is it only women’s undergarments that don’t allow the infiltration of Christ?

• Pastor Deya and his “Miracle Babies”

Pastor Deya became a household name in Kenya, even having the Kajairo song ‘Deya Vioja’ written about him. It’s crazy enough that he would promise infertile women children, but what’s even crazier is that these ‘miracle babies’ were allegedly stolen. How he would steal them? Maybe that’s a miracle on it’s own.

• Pastor Thomas Wahome

“Would you like to go to heaven? Do you want to know if you are in fact going to heaven? Call 0700-Thomas Wahome.” That seems like it would be an appropriate ad for Pastor Wahome’s Helicopter of Christ Church. This churchman charges his congregation Kes1000 to check if their name is in the ‘book of life.’ A biblical book said to have the names of everyone who will get into heaven. But if you don’t happen to be in the book of life, a consolation prize of touching his clothes and being healed of all your ailments is available for a small price of Kes1200.

• Bishop Margaret Wanjiru

What is it about Bishop Wanjiru? Is it the fact that she admits to using witchcraft in her past? Or that she publicly called her husband a “jigger infested man?” Whatever it is, there is no way this pastor turned politician couldn’t be on this list.

• Pastor Lucy Nduta

Last but not least, this pastor earned her position on this list when she promised people that she could cure them of HIV/Aids. She allegedly owned a clinic behind her church where she would take her patients to be tested and they would miraculously come out healed. What makes her story even crazier is that her son Victor Kanyari claimed to be able to do the same thing.