Over the years, Kenyans have often viewed cults as foreign, with few cases reported in the media. Nonetheless, many have been shocked by the bizarre incidents surrounding the controversial sects.
From well-educated Kenyans to celebrities, the country has had its fair share of disturbing stories that left Kenyans with more questions than answers.
Here is a list of educated, wealthy Kenyans whose lives were ruined by cults;
Paul Magu
In November 2014, Kenyans woke up to shocking news of a family who lost their lives under bizarre circumstances. At the centre of the police investigation was Paul Magu, a lawyer by profession, whose wife's body was found burned and stashed in a sack on November 24
At the time, police believed that Lydia Wangui, a mother of three, had been killed by her husband after bloodstains were discovered in their bedroom in their home in Nairobi. Three of their children, aged nine, eight, and five, were also reported missing.
Days later, the body of the 35-year-old lawyer was discovered along Thika road, with preliminary investigations indicating that the lawyer committed suicide by jumping in front of a bus. A suicide note was later found, making the police conclude that the father of three took his life following circumstances surrounding his family’s death.
“I cannot live a life of ridicule and embarrassment. Let it be,” read the suicide note.
After the mysterious incidents, relatives of the deceased came out to reveal that the lawyer and the wife were staunch followers of a Nigerian pastor and had travelled to the West African country more than 20 times since 2009.
Further, according to local media reports, the lawyer's will raised eyebrows after it was reported that he left 90 per cent of his wealth to his pastor.
Esther Arunga
In 2010, Esher Arunga, who was at the pinnacle of her media career, shocked the country after she quit her role as a news anchor at KTN to join the Finger of God Church.
The media personality received sharp criticism, with many blaming her husband and the church for misleading the journalist who was a darling to Kenyans. Arunga was even arrested by the police and taken for psychiatric evaluation. However, the news anchor threatened to sue her family for kidnapping after she was released.
At the height of the controversy that hit the Kenyan media, the trio formed the Placenta Party through which they wanted to seek election in the 2013 General elections. Arunga declared her interest in the Karachunonyo parliamentary seat, while her husband wanted to unseat former prime minister Raila Odinga as the Langata MP.
After years of public criticism, the journalist left for Australia with her husband. The couple was again at the centre of controversy following the mysterious death of their son in June 2014. At the time, Arunga claimed that the son died from rolling down the stairs in their home.
However, police investigations revealed that the three-year-old died from blunt abdominal trauma. During court proceedings, Prosecutor Danny Boyle revealed that Arunga's husband hit the baby with a Bible on the stomach, claiming that the devil was inside the child's belly.
In her defence, Arunga stated that she failed to tell the truth for fear of being punished by her husband. The news anchor was sentenced to a jail term of 10 months, while the husband was charged with murder and admitted to a mental hospital for being violent.
Phillip Onyancha
In 2020, self-confessed serial Killer, Phillip Onyancha, revealed to the public that he had killed 17 women. In the case of Onyancha, more of his revelations shocked the country as he also disclosed that he drank the blood of their victims.
Onyancha made the revelation following his arrest in the murder of Jackline Chepngetich on May 30, 2008, at her apartment in Nairobi county. In 2021, He was later acquitted of the murder charge after Justice Jessie Lessit ruled that the prosecution failed to prove their case.
During the court proceedings, the former student at Mahiga High School blamed his teacher for introducing him to a cult and instructing him to kill through a dream.
While in an interview with a local newspaper in 2018, Onyancha stated that he was safer in prison because he feared what would happen to him if he was released. He claimed that his cult members were not happy with his public confessions.
“I have now denounced the cult and I am a changed man. I know the families of the victims will find it hard to forgive me, but I ask for forgiveness. I swear that after the murders, I never feasted on the victims’ blood," he stated in 2018.
