Two congregants died while 57 were rescued from a church in Rongo, Migori County in what police believe to be a radical cult.
The 57 people who were rescued refused to be treated at a local hospital where they had been taken for attention.
Police were on Monday April 21 2025 informed there was a body lying at St Joseph Missions of Africa Church in Kanyadiedo sub location, East Kamagambo location before rushing to the scene.
The team found the lifeless body of Francis Muli lying on the floor of a prayer room within the church compound.
The body was fully covered in a white rob and wrapped in a grey sheet at that time.
Police said the body had some injuries on the face and foam was oozing from the mouth.
Earlier in the day another dead body was recovered from the same place.
The bodies were moved to the local morgue pending autopsy and other procedures. The police conducted search in the church and managed to rescue 57 people residing there in.
According to police some of them were looking weak and the group was then escorted to Rongo Sub -County hospital for medical attention but all of them flatly refused to be examined by medical officers.
They began to make noises and singing religious songs.
When they persisted, the medical officers advised that the group be removed from the hospital since they were disturbing the other patients at the facility.
Police said they were taken to the station to await further directives.
This is the second such incident to happen in the area amid probe into claims of occultism
A police officer believed to have been radicalized was buried at a church compound in Kamagambo, Migori County prompting police investigations.
Police have blamed occultism for the incident and declared the teachings at the St Joseph Missions of Messiah in Africa church in Opapo village in Kamagambo are misleading.
Constable Dan Ayoo Obura died on March 27, 2025 following sickness before his body was interred at the church the following day.
Obura was a police officer based at the General Service Unit headquarters in Nairobi.
His wife told police he fell sick as they were at home and decided to take him to the St Joseph Missions of Messiah in Africa in Opapo village in Kamagambo for prayers.
He however died on the way and they arrived at the church in the night on March 27 at about 8 pm.
The following day, the woman obtained a burial permit from a local assistant chief.
The chief did not know where the body was to be interred, he said.
Armed with the permit, the woman and few church members buried the body within the compound.
The family said the burial was in accordance with the church rites.
Some family members told police they had complained about the church in the past arguing their son had been radicalized by the teachings.
A police report said the father of Obura had reported the issue to the police who visited the church at one time. It is not clear what action was taken then.
Police said they are investigating the incidents.
The detectives want to establish the cause of death of the police officer. This will be conducted through an autopsy.
There was no immediate comment from the church leadership over the incident.
Cases of occultism have been on the rise. They at times lead to deaths and loss of property.
