Bishop Margaret Wanjiru has blamed the government for demolishing her Jesus Is Alive Ministries (JIAM) church located within Nairobi CBD.
Speaking to the media, Wanjiru said officers drawn from different units invaded the church on Wednesday, March 6 and started demolishing the backside.
She accused the government of trying to grab the Church’s land despite campaigning for President William Ruto and the Kenya Kwanza Alliance in the 2022 general election.
“I wasn’t campaigning to be repaid like this, I wasn’t campaigning for land grabbers to come and start claiming that our church properties are their properties,” she said.
“There are many of them, some say they are from the National Intelligence Service (NIS), others claim to be from the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and others from the police. So definitely the government is involved, and it is sad that this is the government that we campaigned for.”
Margaret Wanjiru Frustrated Despite Campaigning for Kenya Kwanza
Wanjiru, who vied for Nairobi senatorial through a UDA ticket, said she was shocked the government she campaigned for in the election is destroying her property.
The bishop recalled giving the Kenya Kwanza Alliance a platform and a vision during the 2022 campaigns in Nairobi.
However, Wanjiru claimed that she is now suffering under the hands of the officers who took their belongings including mobile phones.
She further stated that the officers harassed and beat them, adding that she sustained injuries in her hands and legs.
“The Church is full of armed police officers; they have taken all our belongings including phones and they have also beaten us. I had to take painkillers before coming here and I have to rush to the hospital so that my hands and legs can be treated. It is very sad,” said Wanjiru.
According to Wanjiru, the officers mentioned that they were sent by the Kenya Railways Commission (KRC) Managing Director (MD) Philip Mainga.
“There are not telling us anything, all they keep saying is that they have sent by Kenya Railways MD.The MD knows that their railways have no property here and there’s God in Heaven,” she stated.
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Wanjiru Asks Government to Respect the Church
She urged the government officials to respect the Church arguing she equally serves the same God.
The bishop explained that they are helpless since the government they elected is same one that is frustrating them.
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Wanjiru said the common citizens might be suffering even more from such officers since they have no one to defend them.
“If anybody in Kenya Kwanza can dare touch my properties how about the common citizen who has no one to speak for them? If Jesus Ministries is under attack today how about the common mwananchi? Where will they go to? If it is our government that is fighting us, where are we going to go? Where will we run to?” she asked.
Margaret Wanjiru said they thought the officers from the DCI had come to help them without knowing that they were providing reinforcement to the ones from NIS.
“We have gotten to a place where we have nowhere to run to or someone to help us but there is God let us see what they will do,’ Wanjiru stated.
First Demolition Attempt
She revealed that the officers first came on February 10 and started demolishing some parts of the Church.
According to Wanjiru, the KRC is trying to cover up from an upcoming court case over a construction of a wall between the Church and the Commission’s land.
“They had actually demolished my wall to put their wall and now they are coming to do it again. It is because the court case is coming up, so they are trying to protect themselves that they haven’t blocked the road,” she said.
“You know the judge made a ruling without coming to see what really happened. They are trying to cover up themselves which won’t work.”
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Starehe MP Defends Wanjiru
Starehe MP Amos Mwago Maina, who is member of the Church, also accused the government of trying to grab the land.
Mwago said the officers had neither a court order nor an eviction notice to conduct the demolitions which is against the Constitution.
“I have been a member of this Church since I was a child and there has never been a land issue. There is another force behind this which wants to grab this land. There’s is a case in court but even respect for the rule of law is lacking in this administration,” Mwago said.
He explained that officers admitted that they are working under strict orders from above and slammed Mainga for the demolitions.
