From the sprawling Mai Mahiu shopping centre in Nakuru County to the picturesque hills surrounding it, the scenery is blissful and leaves visitors stunned. But beneath the idyllic veneer of safari paradise, all is not well.
As the country struggles to come to terms with the Shakahola cult massacre that claimed more than 430 lives in Kilifi County, investigators in the lakeside town of Naivasha are investigating the controversial activities of another church, Kanitha Wa Ngai (Church of God), which is gradually turning into a cult in the remote village of Maella in Mai Mahiu.
If nothing is done, the religious sect could turn into a deadly cult which has been in the news several times. In many cases, followers have been accused of refusing to take family members to hospital for treatment, even when they are seriously ill.
Sect members do not accept modern medicine and some suffer in silence from undiagnosed illnesses at home.
Instead of visiting a doctor, followers usually prefer to engage in the feverish prayers prescribed in their creed.
To the casual observer, the activities of this sect may appear to be an isolated incident involving a bunch of indoctrinated people, but the problem runs deeper.
Independent investigations by the Nation have revealed that the number of those already indoctrinated runs into hundreds. The majority of followers live in squalid conditions and have little regard for quality education.
Most children drop out of school as soon as they sit the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exams.
Gilbert Njuguna, whose wife has been converted to the church, recounted his suffering after one of his children died and was buried on the same day while he was away from home.
Njuguna, a Nyumba Kumi elder and community health promoter, told the Nation that church members do not believe in taking medication because of their religious beliefs.
Some of the children rescued from Kanitha Wa Ngai, in Naivasha.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
"Church members normally prefer to pray instead of taking their sick to the hospital," Njuguna said. According to residents, the sect's activities appear to be driven by a group of indoctrinated individuals who have shockingly managed to attract hundreds of followers.
"Most of the children whose parents are Church of God followers drop out of school after Grade Eight," another resident, Mary Wambui, told the Nation.
Some members of the church, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed that they do not seek medical attention because they belong to a sect that prohibits it.
"Believers do not seek medical help; instead, we pray for healing from God. Even most of our women give birth at home," said the believer, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals.
The church's activities in Maella, Naivasha Sub-county, recently came to light after four minors died in the past four months after their parents reportedly refused to take them to hospital for vaccinations and medication because of their religious beliefs.
Nation gathered that four sick children were rescued from the controversial church compound in Naivasha after four others were buried in the same compound in unclear circumstances after falling ill and dying.
Three-year-old boy suffering from cancer rescued after parents refused to take him to hospital
"The leader of the church is still at large and details are emerging that some of the dead minors were buried in the church compound. Members have been practicing their pastor's teachings of not going to the hospital for medication when they are sick," reveals a resident, John Kariuki.
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations are now investigating claims that some church members, including minors, have in the past died in their homes from undiagnosed illnesses.
A senior detective told the Nation on Thursday that they were closing in on leaders of the church who are alleged to be spreading the controversial teachings.
"We launched the investigation in December 2023, and soon leaders of the church and other members of the church will be arrested and charged in court for various offences. Among other things, we are investigating reports that some children have died and been buried in the church compound. The church is being treated as a crime scene," the detective revealed. The church is now a deserted place after it was closed.
Apart from the noise from nearby homes, as the cockerels come to life and their crows echo from hill to hill, the church compound is quiet.
A visitor to the nondescript village is greeted by mating mongrels chasing each other around mud-walled houses and the barking of dogs.
The Naivasha sub-county authorities have already shut down the 'Church of God', following a decision by the Naivasha sub-County security team after the controversial deaths of the minors.
The deaths sparked a public outcry in December 2023, with residents questioning the activities of the church, which opposes modern medicine.
According to Naivasha Deputy County Commissioner Mutua Kisilu, detectives are now investigating the activities of the 'sect', which has more than 1,000 members.
"We have closed the church as we carry out further investigations into the activities of the church. At least four suspects believed to be members of the church have been arrested and charged with various offences," Mr Kisilu said.
"Members of the sect do not believe in vaccinating children. We were forced to close the church and rescue some of the minors and vaccinate them because they were very sick," he added.
Amid the closure of the church, the Nation found that the number of the sect's members in the area has been increasing by the day, with some having been brought under the church's controversial teachings.
The church has been operating since 2016, and its activities always come to the fore during polio or measles vaccination campaigns, when it stops health workers from vaccinating children.
According to a resident, Mr Bernard Kamau, the sect's membership has been gradually increasing since 2016, resulting in more suffering for dozens of children who don't have access to medicines when they are sick.
"The Maella issue must be urgently investigated by the authorities. What happened in Shakahola in Kilifi was similar to what is happening in Naivasha. I call on the government to investigate the matter before more lives are lost," Mr Kamau warned.
A member of the church, Ann Njeri, vowed that they would not abandon their faith, noting that their treatment and medicines were in heaven and not on earth. She confirmed the death of one of her children, saying the minor was buried in the church compound, describing it as normal in their daily life. It has also emerged that some church members have been arrested in the past and jailed for several months for refusing to treat their children.
On September 27, 2016, the church hit the news headlines for refusing to take their sick kin to the hospital. Locals at a remote village known as Kijabe in Maai Mahiu, Naivasha, were forced to intervene to have a woman who had been ailing for weeks taken to the hospital.
Their earlier efforts to get her to seek treatment hit a snag after they were confronted by the ailing woman's mother and her equally menacing grandchild. Having been kept away, they sought the assistance of Maai Mahiu Ward Administrator Stephen Kung'u, who with police help, intervened and took the sick to the hospital.
It was a dramatic moment as the ailing woman's mother dared the villagers with stones before she retreated to her mud-walled house.
Her 18-year-old grandson, a class right dropout, then joined the fray, spoiling for a fight.
The teenager's antics, however, ended when he was confronted by armed police officers.
He retreated, warning those involved of dire consequences.
"Mtakufa nyote" (You will all die)," he cautioned.
