Police are said to be investigating a church in Brooke Trading Centre, Ainamoi constituency, Kericho County, over suspected cult-like practices. The investigation began after an incident involving three pupils from a school within The Browns Plc tea estate.
According to Kericho East Directorate of Criminal Investigations Officer Rhoda Kanyi, the pupils exhibited signs of possession after receiving items such as necklaces and key holders from the church. The incident unfolded after their parents took them to the church for prayers.
“When the pupils returned to school, the head teacher reported that they started convulsing and speaking incoherently,” Kanyi said.
The unusual behavior prompted the school to organize a prayer session aimed at “liberating” the children from what seemed to be a form of possession.
According to the Standard, video footage of the session shows the three pupils rolling on the ground and making incoherent utterances.
Kanyi explained, “According to the teachers, after questioning the pupils, it was revealed that they had received the mysterious gifts during their visit to the church, which appeared to trigger their unusual behavior.”
The teachers confiscated and burned the items, and afterward, the pupils reportedly returned to their normal state.
“We are actively investigating the church for potentially engaging in cult-like activities that seem to have placed these pupils under a spell,” Kanyi stated.
“If we uncover any evidence of suspicious religious practices, we will take appropriate legal action against the church leaders,” she added.
This incident is not the first time churches in Kericho have faced scrutiny. Previously, several pupils from a school within the multinational tea estates refused to sit for their examinations after attending sermons from another church focused on the end times. Those pupils also declined to touch technological devices, claiming that these items were conduits of evil.
“Fortunately, we managed to resolve the earlier case through counseling, which helped the pupils resume their studies and take their examinations,” DCIO Kanyi reported.
