During a search operation at the Coptic Holy Ghost Church in Kisumu, managed by Father John Pesa, officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations discovered gravelike sites.
In a statement issued on Friday, August 4, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) stated that the DCI will exhume the graves in the coming days as investigations into the church’s operations continue.
The ODPP and DCI searched the church after the pastor was accused of detaining sick people.
“During the operation, two grave-like spots were discovered on the grounds behind the church, and three suspected sick victims were rescued and taken to the hospital for medical assessment and treatment,” stated ODPP.
“This is in response to a court order that granted the investigating agency authorization to conduct the exercise following several complaints that people with mental disabilities were being illegally held within the church premises,” the ODPP added.
Detectives also suspect that some mentally challenged patients died and were buried without a permit on the church grounds.
Pesa, on the other hand, claimed that all patients present at the church came willingly to seek healing, with some being released after feeling better.
He also claimed that the authorities unfairly targeted him in the absence of concrete evidence and were afraid of going after other churches that house the sick.
“Sick people are brought here for healing, and some, after healing, return home, including those with mental illnesses,” he explained.
Pesa has recently come under fire for allegedly illegally detaining mentally ill patients under the guise of healing them.
It was also claimed that he chains patients to prevent them from escaping.
The agencies’ search comes just days after senators visited the church as part of their ongoing investigations into the proliferation of religious organizations.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, on the other hand, insisted that the government would respect the independence of the church even as President William Ruto’s task force investigated the proliferation of religious organizations.
