Church turned to battlefield by Mungiki due to land issues

For the past week, current and former members of the outlawed Mungiki sect have been fighting over 400 acres of land worth about Sh500 million in Athi River. The war, whose battlefront has been the grounds of Hope International Church in Kitengela, a church that was founded by former Mungiki leader Maina Njenga, has so far claimed at least three lives. About 30 others are reported to have gone into hiding, fearing for their lives. Besides the land, some sect adherents have confessed that there is stiff competition for millions of shillings collected illegally by the group, including from levying transport operators. Ironically, the land in question, according to some members of the sect, is part of a bigger chunk which was allegedly grabbed from East African Portland Cement Company by a vocal politician in 2010 to raise money for campaigns in the March 2013 elections. They claim the politician subdivided and sold out the land and later allocated them 400 acres so that they could offer political protection. Our investigations have revealed that since 2010 one of the sect’s leaders charged with administering the land has been selling plots without surrendering money to the high command. “They have been selling a 50by100 feet plot at between Sh150,000 and Sh200,000. The buyers are just given a share certificate bearing the name Kitanda na Mbuzi. At the same time 100 members have settled on the land,” sources said.
On Sunday, at least 12 people were injured when the two groups fought each other in the church in Kajiado County. Tension remained high in the church and its environs as a contingent of police officers from both Administration and their regular counterpart patrolled the town.
The 12, who were armed with machetes and other crude weapons, were ambushed by church members who suspected they were on a criminal mission. All that Njenga could say yesterday was: “What is happening is unfortunate. We are helping authorities to get to the bottom of the matter. We do not know who is behind this.” Black suits Trouble started on May 4, at around 5am when four intercessors arrived in the church. After praying for about 30 minutes, some strangers clad in black suits arrived in the church.