Police raid Mombasa church, save 20 children and 7 adults from suspected cult
Children and adults found living in deplorable conditions inside Zion Fire Anointing Ministries, authorities investigate suspected cult activities.
Police in Changamwe Sub-county, Mombasa, have rescued 27 people, including 20 children and seven women, who are believed to have been confined inside a church in suspected cult-like activities.
The group was reportedly living under alarming conditions at Zion Fire Anointing Ministries Church, cut off from the outside world. Authorities say the discovery came after a woman, arrested last Friday, led officers to the premises.
Changamwe Sub-County Police Commander Patrick Gogo said the operation followed a tip-off from concerned members of the public.
“We received information that a woman had pulled her children out of school and confined them in the church,” Gogo told journalists on Monday.
Children denied schooling, medical care
“On Friday and Monday, we stormed the premises and found 27 people — seven women and 20 children aged between two and fifteen years.”
Inside the church, police found suitcases and other personal belongings, indicating that the individuals had been living there. Officers also received reports that the children were being denied schooling and medical care.
All 27 individuals were taken to Changamwe Police Station for questioning as investigations into the group’s activities continue.
“We want to establish exactly what they have been doing there,” Gogo said. “Some of the children are of school-going age and should currently be sitting for their Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), but they were locked away.”
Police reported that the group was living in deplorable conditions, sleeping on the floor without mosquito nets, despite the high risk of malaria in the coastal region.
Top Stories Today
