A Kenyan pastor is under investigation for alleged cult activities after accusations surfaced that he and other church leaders sexually abused women and girls. The scandal erupted after the church led by Daniel Mururu in Meru County, central Kenya, was set on fire by angry locals at the end of last month.
Mururu, who is affiliated with the East African Pentecostal Churches of Kenya, along with other church elders and ushers, faces accusations of indecent acts, including stripping women, shaving their pubic hair, and sexually assaulting them, according to a police report from Monday. Among the victims are over seven women and girls, ranging in age from 17 to 70, including a 17-year-old girl who became pregnant as a result of the abuse.
Police investigations have indicated that Mururu was operating a cult, manipulating his followers into participating in these indecent acts out of fear of consequences like illness or infertility if they disobeyed his commands.
Kenya, a predominantly Christian nation, has faced challenges in regulating rogue churches and cults involved in criminal activities. Last year, the country was shocked by the discovery of a doomsday cult whose leader was arrested after authorities found bodies buried in mass graves.
Rescuers spent months combing through a remote area near Malindi on the Kenyan coast, ultimately uncovering 448 bodies from shallow graves. Autopsies revealed that while many victims died from starvation, others, including children, had been strangled, beaten, or suffocated.
The tragic events, referred to as the “Shakahola forest massacre,” prompted the Kenyan government to consider stricter oversight of fringe religious groups. A commission established by President William Ruto to investigate the deaths and review regulations governing religious organizations submitted its report in July, recommending a mix of self-regulation and government oversight to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
