The Senate Adhoc Committee that is probing the growth of rogue religious organisations conducted an operation on a church in Kisumu on Saturday. As a result of this raid, eight patients were evacuated.
Patients were reportedly receiving prayers as they were being detained inside the Holy Ghost Coptic Church, where the church was also holding the patients.
These new changes take place as the government continues to tighten its grip on churches it believes are encouraging contentious practises.
It is thought that many people died when a truck fell from an overpass in Kisumu.
Thugs murdered two security guards during a nighttime raid in Kisumu’s Central Business District.
The Committee set up a tent at the church to examine allegations that patients were being detained without their consent at the institution. The investigation was led by Shakila Mohamed, who serves as the committee’s vice chairwoman.
Eight patients who had been locked inside one of the rooms on the church property were freed by a group of highly armed security agents who had been searching for them.
After learning that a lot of sick people are being held inside the grounds of Fr. Pesa’s church, Senator Mohammed said that they decided to conduct a search warrant at the church.
She said that the religious institution is not permitted to retain the ill and that a total of eight people were freed and transported to the hospital to undergo hospital assessments. She also mentioned that the church does not have the authority to lock up the sick.
She said that “we have instructed our officers to execute an in-depth investigation within the church to guarantee they can check all possible recesses and rooms in an attempt to rescue other sick people that may have previously left,” and “we are sending our officers to perform a thorough investigation within the church.”
According to the senator who was selected for the position, the patients had been shackled to their legs in addition to being imprisoned in very dark chambers.
These individuals are living in the same conditions as animals. “They are revealing to us that it’s because they only eat one meal a day, and in the same room, they maintain a bucket that doubles as a toilet, and it is only emptied every other week, which renders this look resembling a small Shakahola,” she added. “They only have one meal a day to sustain themselves.”
Senator Veronica Maina echoed her claims, saying that they would ensure that religious leaders who disobey the Constitution face justice for their actions. Senator Veronica Maina echoed her remarks.
In addition to that, she lauded Health CS for aiding them and authorizing free treatment for everyone who was impacted by the illness.
“If you find a circumstance like this throughout the country, regardless of whether the Ad hoc committee is not available, simply submit it to the appropriate organization for assistance,” she added. “Bring it to the authority even if the Ad hoc committee is not available.”
She said that individuals who were rescued seemed to have been subjected to torture, and it would also be necessary to evaluate their mental competence.
The committee found that the Western Region was home to the vast majority of the Shakahola victims, and as a result, they went to the counties of Kisumu and Vihiga to investigate the situation there.
The Red Cross provided an ambulance to transport the survivors to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital.
Additionally, the committee had a difficult time persuading several sufferers to get inside the ambulance with them.