There was drama in Zongwani village in Voi sub-county on Sunday morning after police raided a church and arrested a senior pastor who had defiled a 16-year old girl.
The suspect, Senior Pastor Steve Wafula of Jerusalem is Here Church, was whisked away by police officers from Voi Police station disrupting the Sunday service and leaving his bewildered congregation in shock.
The pastor is said to have led a dozen girls to a choir practice session held at his house on Saturday evening. The session went long into the night and after it was over, the randy pastor had identified one girl, a form two student at a local school, who would allegedly spent Saturday night at his house.
Speaking to KNA on Sunday, Mr. Musa Mwanyumba, the minor’s father, said he had mobilised hundreds of villagers at night to help look for his missing daughter.
He had even called the suspect to inquire about the girl’s whereabouts but the pastor denied knowing where the girl was. The search was called off at midnight but resumed in the wee hours of Sunday morning.
Eventually the father encountered the girl in one of the many cattle paths as she headed home after a night out. When questioned, she claimed that she had been at her aunt’s place. Unconvinced, the father retraced her footprints and they led directly to the pastor’s homestead.
Already, word had spread in the village and beyond that the missing girl had been found. Irate villagers gathered at the pastor’s home threatening to lynch him.
To save himself, the desperate pastor had scribbled a quick note admitting to having slept the night with the girl and pleaded for forgiveness.
He then sneaked the note to the minor’s mother in the hope that the matter would be laid to rest without involving the police.
But the girl’s family members instead called the police who later arrested him.
