BOMET COUNTY, Kenya — A church operating under the name Bethel For Jesus Ministry International is facing mounting public outrage and a police investigation following shocking reports of abuse masked as ‘spiritual cleansing’ rituals.
The alarm was raised after Mercy Cherotich, a resident of Kapkatet village in Kericho County, shared her traumatic ordeal at the hands of the church leaders. On February 19, 2025, while visiting her cousin in Kapkwen Township, she attended a service at the controversial church. During the sermon, she was unexpectedly called to the front of the congregation.
“I told them I could not move to the front since I was not a member of the church and did not know what was expected of me,” Cherotich recounted. “The pastor slapped me twice while the ushers handed him a cane which he used to hit me all over my body.”
The assault, she says, was supposedly to ‘exorcise demons’ from her. Following the incident, she reported the matter at Kapkwen Police Station, and a medical examination confirmed she had sustained injuries to her back, legs, and hands.
Sadly, Cherotich’s story is not unique.
Numerous women have reportedly suffered similar abuses at the church. Disturbing accounts describe victims being whipped with canes, beaten, and in some cases, burned, all under the pretense of spiritual purification. A particularly horrifying video circulating online shows an elderly woman tied and burned over an open fire outside the church as she cries out for help, promising to repent and join the church.
The disturbing footage has sparked widespread anger across social media and among human rights advocates, with calls for urgent intervention by law enforcement and religious oversight bodies.
Bethel For Jesus Ministry International has operated in the region for years, but these recent revelations have cast a dark shadow over its activities. Local officials have launched investigations into the church’s practices, and residents are demanding the immediate shutdown of the institution and the prosecution of those responsible.
“This is not religion. This is criminal,” said one local leader. “We cannot allow churches to become zones of torture and fear under the cover of spirituality.”
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) and other watchdog bodies are reportedly monitoring the developments, as concerns grow about unchecked abuse in religious institutions.
This unfolding case has reignited debates on the regulation of faith-based organizations in Kenya, and many are urging the government to step in to prevent further atrocities.
