Nigeria-based Winners Chapel International has denied allegations that the church allows the practice of devil worship.
In a signed statement, the church described as false and baseless, claims carried in a section of the media that officials of the church in Kitale tortured a man to force him give up his child as a human sacrifice.
The church accused some local daily and weekly newspapers (not the East African Standard) of publishing alarming reports that human sacrifices were offered in the church. The statement signed by 13 church elders and led by Pastor George Omondi Owino, said the church categorically denies any involvement in the alleged practices.
Trouble began at the church last week when eight members of the Kitale branch including a Nigerian pastor and a prominent doctor were arrested for allegedly torturing a church member. Pastor Emmanuel Arowara, Dr Joseph Ngeresa and six church elders were on Wednesday arraigned before a Kitale court charged with assaulting Simon Chumba causing him actual grievous bodily harm on April 7.
The suspects who pleaded not guilty were released on bond.
Yesterday, the church confirmed that it has 390 churches in Africa of which 310 were in Nigeria, 10 in Kenya and 70 elsewhere in the continent.
A church elder George Imbogo said it was unfortunate that some people were using the alleged assault case to spread false rumours about the church owing to its growing membership.