Educated, Wealthy Kenyans Whose Lives Were Ruined by Cults

Over the years, Kenyans have often viewed cults as foreign with few cases being reported in the media.

Nonetheless, the few cases that have been reported have shocked Kenyans by the bizarre incidents surrounding those cases.

From well-educated Kenyans to celebrities, the country has had its fair share of disturbing stories that left Kenyans with more questions than answers.

Here is a list of educated, wealthy Kenyans whose lives were ruined by cults;

An image of the late Paul Magu and his wife, Lydia Wangui taken during their wedding day.

The Standard

Paul Magu

In November 2014, Kenyans woke up to shocking news of a family who lost their lives under bizarre circumstances. At the center of the police investigation was Paul Magu, a lawyer by profession, whose wife’s body was found burned and stashed in a sack on November 24

At the time, police believed that Lydia Wangui, a mother of three had been killed by the husband after bloodstains were discovered in their bedroom in their home in Nairobi. Additionally, three of their children aged nine, eight, and five were also reported missing.

Days later, the body of the 35-year-old lawyer was discovered along Thika road with preliminary investigations indicating that the lawyer committed suicide by jumping in front of a bus. A suicide note was later found making the police conclude that the father of three took his life following circumstances surrounding his family’s death.

“I cannot live a life of ridicule and embarrassment. Let it be,” read the suicide note.

After the mysterious incidents, relatives of the deceased came out to reveal that the lawyer together with the wife were staunch followers of a Nigerian pastor and had travelled to the West African country more than 20 times from 2009.

Further, according to local media reports, the will of the lawyer raised eyebrows after it was reported that the lawyer left 90 per cent of his wealth to his pastor. 

Esther Arunga

In 2010, Esher Arunga, who was at the pinnacle of her media career shocked the country after she quit her role as a news anchor at KTN to join the Finger of God Church.

 The media personality received sharp criticism with many blaming her husband Quincy Timberlake and the church for misleading the journalist who was a darling to Kenyans. Arunga was even arrested by the police and taken for psychiatric evaluation. However, the news anchor threatened to sue her family for kidnapping after she was released.

 At the height of the controversy that hit the Kenyan media, the trio formed the Placenta party through which they wanted to seek election in the 2013 General elections. Arunga declared her interest in the Karachunonyo parliamentary seat while her husband wanted to unseat former prime minister Raila Odinga as the Langata MP. Hellon on the other end wanted to vie for the presidency.

 After years of public criticism, the journalist left for Australia together with her husband. The couple was again at the center of controversy following the mysterious death of their son in June 2014. At the time, Arunga claimed that the son died as a result of rolling down the stairs in their home.

 However, police investigations revealed that the three-year-old died as a result of blunt trauma to the abdomen. During court proceedings, Prosecutor Danny Boyle revealed that Timberlake hit the baby with a Bible on the stomach claiming that the devil was inside the child’s belly.

 In her defence, Arunga stated that she failed to tell the truth for fear of being punished by her husband. The news anchor was sentenced to serve a jail term sentence of 10 months while Timberlake was charged with murder and admitted to a mental hospital for being violent.

Back at home, Hellon distanced himself from the woes of Arunga stating that he warned the TV star of the husband. 

“It’s actually a very sad state of affairs because I actually told Esther that Quincy was a bad person. Quincy used witchcraft; he told me before he joined the church that he used to practice witchcraft and he wanted to reform,” he stated in 2019.

An image of Esther Arunga and Quincy Timberlake

File

Phillip Onyancha 

In 2020, self-confessed serial Killer, Phillip Onyancha, revealed to the public that he had killed 17 women. In the case of Onyancha, more of his revelations shocked the country as he also disclosed that he drank the blood of their victims.

Onyancha made the revelation following his arrest in the murder of Jackline Chepngetich on May 30, 2008, at her apartment in Nairobi county. In 2021, He was later acquitted of the murder charge after Justice Jessie Lessit ruled that the prosecution failed to prove their case.

During the court proceedings, the former student at Mahiga High school blamed his teacher for introducing him to a cult and instructing him to kill through a dream.

While in an interview with a local newspaper in 2018, Onyancha stated that he was safer in prison because he feared what would happen to him if he was released. He claimed that his cult members were not happy with his public confessions.

“I have now denounced the cult and I am a changed man. I know the families of the victims will find it hard to forgive me, but I ask for forgiveness. I swear that after the murders, I never feasted on the victims’ blood,” he stated in 2018.

Phillip Onyancha at a past court hearing

File

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