Kenya Pastor’s Church Burnt, Maliciously Prosecuted in a Land Dispute – Bishop Joseph Molema speaks to HICGI News Agency in Hide.

By Earnest Kivumbi Benjamin – updated at 0215 EAT Time on Saturday 15th June 2024

KISI, KENYA – A local Bishop in Nyamira, Kisi- Kenya, Joseph Molema Alfayo is in a hideout after a High Court in Nyamira issued a warrant of arrest against him for failing to pay KSH 700,000 (U$ 5400) compensation to his accuser Dr. James Kumenda.

Molema says, had bought a church plot and paid all the money he agreed with the seller unfortunately, the seller (deceased now) sold out the same place to the second buyer whom he gave the title deed secretly.

“When I went to high court I lost the case because the second buyer has the title deed. The church was burnt down with everything including chairs and a public address system. And unfortunately, the seller died while the case was still in the high court. Again now the second buyer has gone to court demanding compensation worth ksh.700,000 ” Says Molema speaking to HICGI News Agency

Molema hired a new place where he built a temporary place where he conducts prayers. He used to serve God under Pentecostal Assemblies of God for many years until when he started his, touching communities to know God.

On Tuesday police officers came to arrest him at his home but went in hiding when he was tipped about the arrest. They want him to be produced at the high court where he risks being sentenced to 6 months in prison should he not pay the accuser money he was ordered to pay.

Molema says the legal justice was not followed as he was never served with intention to sue nor was he aware of any Court case against him earlier. “We were surprised when goons came to burn our church and evict us.”

HICGI News Agency has learned that the young men who burnt the Church were stricken with madness.

Dr. James Kumenda battling the clergy by press time couldn’t respond to our calls for comment.

A legal expert speaking to HICGI News Agency says, that when an accused does not receive an intention to sue notice, all court proceedings become null and void.

On 09th August 2021, a similar incident in Uganda occurred when a Church in Ndeeba Kampala was demolished in the night after an ownership dispute spanning more than 40 years. The act was a result of a court decision over a property wrangle between the Church of Uganda and the joint administrators of the estate of the late Evelyn Nachwa, a Buganda Kingdom Princess.

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni at a demolished church in Ndeeba, Kampala Uganda in August 2021- Courtesy photo

The demolition followed a court ruling which indicated that the land had been fraudulently registered in the names of Bishop Danistan Nsubuga, Rev. Yuda Kitaka, and Esau Kizito, thus ordering the church to vacate. In the aftermath of the demolition, Uganda President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni intervened and promised that Government would rebuild the Church and compensate the owner of the land.

Uganda’s Government regretted the incident saying this was something that really should never have happened and Minister Persis Namuganza said that internationally, Uganda’s image was badly portrayed by the incident of breaking down a church.

Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury and symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury wrote to the Archbishop of Uganda, asking what had happened to a country he had just been in.

President Museveni wrote explaining to Welby that indeed it was a sad happening, but it was done by a private individual and not the Government. Namuganza said that this was a very bad thing in terms of how it portrayed Uganda in terms of dealing with land rights, but also Christianity.

Bishop Joseph Molema is calling upon people around the world to rescue him before he is jailed first, to meet legal fees for his lawyer, and also pay 700,000 KSH that the court ordered him to pay.

You can reach out to him on

+254724926368 and +254735565593