Kitui pastor by day, armed robber by night, shot dead by police

Police in Kitui have shot dead a pastor during a violent robbery at Kavisuni market in Kitui county.

The pastor was part of a gang that raided a wholesale shop owned by Muli Munyoki last week and robbed him at gunpoint.    

In the shocking incident of gospel preachers by day and gangsters by night, the robbers operated two churches in the Matinyani area of Kitui West.

The slain pastor, identified as Ezekiel Muinde Mwangangi, was a preacher at Heaven City Chapel, based in the Soweto area, while overseeing a new branch at Kauma Market, about five kilometres away.

His accomplice in the evening robbery - a fellow worshipper - escaped with gunshot wounds after the rogue preachers came under a hail of police bullets.

The pastor was found armed with a toy gun, a sharp double-edged dagger and a fake police radio, while his accomplice, who is on the run, is believed to be armed with a real gun.

According to the shop owner, the robbers confronted him just after he had closed, posing as police officers and claiming they were investigating a case of stolen goods they suspected he was selling.

"They introduced themselves as police officers from Kitui Police Station who were investigating stolen goods and demanded to check my stock. Once inside the shop, they pulled out guns and ordered me and the night watchman to lie down," said Mr Munyoki.

They robbed the trader of Sh5, 000 in cash and forced him to hand over his mobile phone while they ransacked the shop for valuables and more cash.

The commotion alerted police officers from the nearby Kavisuni Police Station, who responded quickly and rushed to the scene.

When the police arrived at Mr Munyoki's shop, they found the robbers coming out, still holding the trader by his shirt collar.

The officers ordered them to surrender, but instead they brandished guns as they tried to escape on their motorbike.

Police opened fire, killing the pastor instantly, while his accomplice escaped into the darkness with bullet wounds to his left hand.

Unknown to the officers and the crowd at the scene, the robbers, including the one killed by bullets, were actually preachers in Kitui town and its environs.

Preliminary investigations revealed that on the fateful day, the two hired a motorcycle from a friend at Katyethoka market under the pretext that they needed to transport their church music system to an open crusade in the community.

Instead, they carried out a violent robbery at Kavisuni market, some 40 kilometres away.

According to Kitui County Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Samuel Bett, police officers were unaware that the robbers were disguised as pastors.

"The information that the robber was a pastor came later after his body was taken to the mortuary," the DCI said.

Bett confirmed that several people had been questioned by detectives, including the owner of the motorcycle used by the robbers, while other members of the public had volunteered vital information.

Contacted for comment, Kalimani area chief Cyrus Kitwai Malombe confirmed that Pastor Ezekiel Muinde was part of the leadership of the Soweto church.

Upon receiving the information, Mr Malombe visited the church and confirmed that the slain robber was their pastor, an active leader in praise and worship sessions where he played the piano and trained other worshippers to play the piano.

"The surrounding community was shocked that a pastor they knew was not only involved in a violent robbery but was also killed in a shootout with the police," the chief told the Nation.

The chief said the church had been holding daily afternoon crusades in Soweto township for a week last month, and the robber had attended.

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