Pastor Arrested in Kilifi Over Mysterious Deaths Linked to “Tree of Life” Ritual
The church, located deep in the Chakama forest, reportedly conducted services without a Bible and relied solely on the “tree of life” belief.
Kilifi County authorities have arrested a pastor from the New Foundation Church in Magarini constituency following reports of mysterious deaths among his followers.
By Juliet Jerotich
Kilifi County authorities have arrested a pastor from the New Foundation Church in Magarini constituency following reports of mysterious deaths among his followers.
The preacher, identified as Abel Kahindi Gandi, was taken into custody after police investigations linked his controversial spiritual practices to several unexplained fatalities.
Gandi allegedly led a ritual known as the “tree of life,” where his congregants were instructed to climb a tree in three stages, believing that their personal problems would be resolved during the descent.
According to the police, this bizarre practice may have contributed to the deaths, which raised alarm within the local community.
In his defense, Gandi denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that his actions were guided by divine instruction. “I haven’t killed anybody. I have been doing my work as instructed by God. That tree is of life,” he told police during questioning.
He further claimed that his followers were possessed by evil spirits and that the tree ritual was a spiritual cleansing method to cast them out.
However, Kilifi North Deputy County Commissioner Samuel Mutisya, who led the arrest operation, revealed alarming details about the church’s operations.
The church, located deep in the Chakama forest, reportedly conducted services without a Bible and relied solely on the “tree of life” belief.
“We asked many questions and found that the pastor does not even own a Bible. Their entire belief system revolves around climbing the tree, which they claim casts out evil spirits,” said Mutisya.
Authorities have since closed the church pending further investigation. The pastor remains in police custody as detectives continue to probe the circumstances surrounding the deaths and the legitimacy of his spiritual practices.
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