Kenya: 30 Arrested Over Links to Illegal Sect in Kitale

Nairobi, Kenya - More than 30 people have been arrested in Kitale for allegedly belonging to an illegal sect. The sect discourages people from getting education and taking medication.

The members of the Church of Christ are mainly young people aged 30 and below. Schoolchildren aged below 12 were arrested at Shanti village in Kitale after numerous complaints by residents in the area.

The assistant chief Moses Bunguswa who exposed the sect said the members worship every Saturday and conduct their services in a closed house from morning to evening without getting out."We have been monitoring their movements with my village elders and vigilante group and discovered that their mode of worship is strange," he said.

When police demanded the certificate of registration of the church, the members insisted that it was registered in heaven. Some of the children who are members of the church said their leaders had warned them against going to school. They said they were told that if they went to school, they would be introduced to Satanism through the number 666 that is believed to be Satanic.

Kitale police boss Philip Nyambu said the members of the sect will be charged in court for belonging to an illegal sect. He said the members have been for infringing of children rights to education.