Nairobi, Kenya (AFP) — Authorities in Kenya are conducting an investigation into a Kenyan pastor, Daniel Mururu, who is facing serious allegations of running a cult and sexually abusing women and girls. This investigation emerged following the burning down of Mururu’s church, the East African Pentecostal Churches of Kenya, in Meru County.
According to a police report dated Monday, Mururu, along with church elders and ushers, allegedly committed heinous acts of indecent assault. These include stripping women naked, shaving their pubic hair, and engaging in sexual intercourse with them. The police document further revealed that over seven females, aged between 17 and 70, have claimed to have been assaulted. Among the victims is a 17-year-old schoolgirl who became pregnant as a result.
Initial investigations by the police have pointed to the existence of a cult within the church, which Mururu allegedly directed. The pastor is accused of radicalizing his followers and compelling them to engage in indecent acts, exploiting their fear of dire consequences such as illness or infertility if they refused to comply.
Kenya, a predominantly Christian nation, has been struggling to regulate dubious churches and cults engaging in criminal activities. The current case echoes the chilling memory of the “Shakahola forest massacre,” a shocking event where the leader of a doomsday starvation cult was arrested in April last year. Rescuers uncovered 448 bodies from shallow graves in a remote scrubland near Malindi. Most victims, according to autopsies, died of starvation, while others, including children, were found to have been strangled, beaten, or suffocated.
The Shakahola incident prompted action from the Kenyan government, emphasizing the necessity for tighter regulations on fringe religious denominations. A commission formed by President William Ruto to investigate the deaths and propose regulatory reforms for religious organizations submitted its report in July this year. The commission recommended a hybrid model incorporating both self-regulation and government oversight to prevent such atrocities in the future.
As the investigation into Pastor Daniel Mururu continues, Kenyan authorities hope to bring justice to the victims and mitigate the influence of similar cults within the nation.
