On September 27, 2025, police in Kilifi town rescued five children from Dera village in Kilifi North, where they were found emaciated and weak, allegedly detained by Pastor Kamanza Mwatela of the Jesus Ministry church.
The pastor was arrested for forcing the children to fast and consume a substance he called “holy water”, sparking outrage and renewing fears of cultic practices in a region still haunted by the Shakahola massacre.
The operation, led by Kilifi North Sub-county Police Commander Kenneth Maina, followed a tip-off from concerned villagers who noticed the children’s deteriorating health.
The rescue unfolded in the early hours at the Jesus Ministry Church, a modest structure in Dera village, roughly 10 kilometres from Chakama, near the infamous Shakahola Forest, where over 450 bodies were exhumed in 2023.
The children, aged between 8 and 15, were found confined in a backroom, visibly frail and dehydrated. Preliminary reports indicate Mwatela instructed them to fast for weeks to “cleanse their spirits” and drink his “holy water,” sold at KSh150 per litre, which he claimed had divine healing powers.
Tests are underway to determine the substance’s composition, with fears it may be harmful. Kilifi North Deputy County Commissioner Samuel Mutisya, who joined the raid, condemned the pastor’s actions, noting similarities to prior cultic cases.
“This is unacceptable. Forcing children to starve under the guise of religion is criminal,” he told reporters outside the church. Mwatela, 52, denied wrongdoing, claiming his teachings were divinely inspired.
He was unable to provide evidence of his theological training or church registration, which raised concerns about his operations. The incident has reignited trauma in Kilifi, where Pastor Paul Mackenzie’s Good News International Church led to mass deaths through starvation.
The Jesus Ministry church, established in 2024, reportedly attracted vulnerable families, including Shakahola survivors, with promises of spiritual salvation. Villagers told police Mwatela’s sermons discouraged medical care, urging followers to rely on his rituals instead.
One parent, speaking anonymously, said her 12-year-old son was lured to the church during school holidays and hadn’t returned home for days. The rescued children are receiving medical care at Malindi Sub-county Hospital, with two in critical condition due to severe malnutrition.
The DCI’s Transnational Organised Crime Unit is investigating potential links to broader networks, given Kilifi’s history of rogue clergy. In April 2025, Pastor Abel Kahindi Gandi of New Foundation Church was arrested in Chakama for similar practices, including selling “living water” and promoting a “Tree of Life” ritual.
Social media erupted. “How many more children must suffer?” one churchgoer’s post read. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) called for urgent reforms, citing the government’s failure to implement post-Shakahola recommendations.
The National Police Service admitted in August 2025 that coordination gaps persist, allowing such incidents to recur.
Mwatela faces charges of child endangerment and radicalisation under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2012. The court granted police seven days to detain him as investigations continue.