religious cults Stories

Petition seeks legal framework to regulate theological colleges in Kenya
Lucy Mumbi  |  Oct 02, 2025

The petitioners want Parliament to set standards for curricula, accreditation and pastoral training, arguing that the absence of oversight has led to...

Shakahola massacre: Pathologist reveals victims were strangled, not just starved
Farhiya Hussein  |  Oct 02, 2025

Dr Richard Njoroge, one of five government pathologists who examined the remains, told the Shanzu Law Courts that several of the 453 bodies recovered...

Talanta Sports City bond sparks outrage as MPs fear Sh97 billion taxpayer burden
Lucy Mumbi  |  Sep 30, 2025

Matungulu MP Stephen Mule warned that taxpayers could end up paying more than Sh97 billion—over twice the original amount borrowed for the project.

Shakahola cult: How Mackenzie forged documents to register Good News Church
Farhiya Hussein  |  Sep 30, 2025

The prosecution presented five witnesses before the Shanzu Law Courts in the ongoing trial involving Mackenzie and 95 co-accused persons, who face cha...

Kenya accelerates Galana-Kulalu irrigation scheme to boost food security
Farhiya Hussein  |  Sep 29, 2025

Located on the border of Kilifi and Tana River counties, the project is one of Kenya’s largest attempts to boost local food production through irrigat...

MPs demand urgent national land use policy to protect farmland
Lucy Mumbi  |  Sep 29, 2025

The legislators have raised concerns over the shrinking acreage under agriculture, linking it to unplanned settlements encroaching on farmland.

AI in Africa: Five issues that must be tackled for digital equality
The Conversation  |  Sep 27, 2025

The scale of the AI gap is stark. Africa holds less than 1 per cent of global data centre capacity. Data centres are the engines that drive AI. This m...

MPs accuse Agriculture and Food Authority of ethnic bias, discrimination against PWDs
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Sep 27, 2025

The MPs said the agency has, for years, overlooked ethnic diversity and neglected the inclusion of People Living with Disabilities (PLWDs), raising qu...

High Court suspends Sh15 billion rice tender over cancelled bids
Lucy Mumbi  |  Sep 25, 2025

The High Court in Mombasa ruled that AFA must not award the 250,000-tonne rice quota to any private party outside the lawful tender process.

MPs seek fresh zoning rules to protect shrinking farmland
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Sep 25, 2025

By securing farmland and supporting commercial-scale agriculture, MPs and the Agriculture Ministry hope to reverse the decline in productivity and str...

Witness narrates how Mackenzie distorted Bible verses to defend deadly Shakahola fasting cult
Lucy Mumbi  |  Sep 23, 2025

During Tuesday’s court session, the witness testified that Mackenzie cited passages from the Book of Revelation and reinterpreted them as a countdown...

Kenya cuts fish imports as Lake Victoria cage farming boosts aquaculture production
Lucy Mumbi  |  Sep 22, 2025

Overall aquaculture output increased by five per cent in 2024, reaching 33,423 tonnes compared to 31,767 tonnes in 2023.

Kilifi closes 11 churches over radicalisation, lack of registration
Lucy Mumbi  |  Sep 22, 2025

The crackdown follows the deaths of more than 484 people linked to cult-related activities in Malindi, including over 450 followers of the Good News I...

Zimbabwean artist Portia Zvavahera transforms dreams into powerful paintings
The Conversation  |  Sep 21, 2025

From an archival perspective, the exhibition is compelling because it frames these dreamscapes with materiality – paint, paper, canvas, brushstrokes –...

How farmers are integrating modern, traditional farming models to beat food insecurity
Alfred Onyango  |  Sep 21, 2025

In an effort to avert this looming crisis, farmers are adopting a unique approach that combines modern agricultural techniques with traditional practi...

Chakama residents demand subdivision of 50,000-acre ranch linked to cult activities
Rachael Mutabasi  |  Sep 20, 2025

Residents, led by the local Chakama Pastors’ Fellowship, have linked the vast unoccupied land to cult activity, arguing it has become a breeding groun...

Kwa Binzaro cult suspects held for 60 days as investigators uncover grisly graves
Lucy Mumbi  |  Sep 18, 2025

Detectives told the court they would use the extra time to sort through 102 commingled remains already recovered, carry out post-mortem examinations o...

Nairobi Trade Fair puts spotlight on innovation as Kenya braces for rising hunger fears
Alfred Onyango  |  Sep 17, 2025

According to the latest food insecurity update by ReliefWeb, the number of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity fell to 1.8 million betw...

Kenya’s coffee export earnings jump to Sh37.7 billion in 2023/2024
Rachael Mutabasi  |  Sep 17, 2025

The country’s coffee reached key global markets, including Belgium, the USA, Germany, South Korea, and Sweden, demonstrating Kenya’s strategic presenc...

Shakahola trial hears more harrowing testimonies of starvation and abuse
Lucy Mumbi  |  Sep 16, 2025

Government Pathologist Richard Njoroge, who performed post-mortems on four bodies recovered from mass graves in Shakahola, described the grim state of...

Freight bottlenecks, cargo crisis shave Sh1.4 billion off Kenya’s flower sector
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Sep 16, 2025

According to the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), total flower exports fell by 12 per cent from 116,273 tonnes in 2024, translating to a Sh72.1 b...

Why community vigilance is vital in combating cult killing- Murkomen
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Sep 16, 2025

The CS pointed to weak community structures, citing the Kenya Alliance of Residents Association (KARA), which he said ought to play a stronger role in...

Muslim ritual meets Swahili culture at Kenya’s unique annual Maulidi festival
The Conversation  |  Sep 15, 2025

Visitors flock to the celebration from Europe, America, Tanzania, Somalia, the Saudi Arabian Peninsula, and numerous towns, villages, and islands alon...

Kwa Binzaro cult suspects scattered bodies across 400 acres to outwit investigators, court told
Farhiya Hussein  |  Sep 15, 2025

Investigators reported that the 51 days initially granted by the court had been severely undermined by the suspects’ methods, which appeared designed...

Families ravaged by tragedy as Kwa Binzaro mass graves reveal grim truth
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Sep 13, 2025

The Kwa Binzaro tragedy, much like Shakahola before it, has left families shattered,  parents mourning children, and children left without parents. Fo...

Three Kwa Binzaro cult suspects granted bond pending investigation
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Sep 13, 2025

The trio had been arrested for allegedly selling a five-acre piece of land to the main suspect, Sherleen Temba Anido.

Black wattle as firewood: How South African communities are putting invasive species to work
The Conversation  |  Sep 13, 2025

The black wattle is an invasive Australian tree that arrived in South Africa in 1871. It was originally introduced in plantations to create shade and...

Kenya poised for record maize harvest of 70 million bags in 2025- Kagwe
Rachael Mutabasi  |  Sep 12, 2025

Speaking during the opening of the 2025 A.S.K. Central Kenya National Show at Kabiruini Showgrounds in Nyeri, Kagwe attributed the bumper harvest to t...

What is ableism? Words can hurt people but African culture offers an alternative
The Conversation  |  Sep 12, 2025

Microaggressions can be projected to Black people because they are expected to speak perfect English when it’s not even their language. Or because wha...

Audit uncovers Sh198 million unsupported grants, weak land controls at ADC
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Sep 11, 2025

Several ADC land parcels are at risk due to ongoing disputes and encroachment. One notable case involves 175 acres claimed by another entity, which co...

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