Police Rescue 20 Children, Detain 7 Adults in Suspected Mombasa Cult

Police in Mombasa County have rescued 20 children and detained seven adults during a raid on a church in Changamwe, as part of an investigation into suspected religious cult activities.

The operation, led by Changamwe Police Commander Patrick Gogo, targeted the Zion Fire Anointing Ministries church after reports that people were being confined inside. According to police, the group was found living in unsafe conditions, isolated from the outside world. 

The intervention followed a report from a woman who escaped the premises with her children on 31 October and alerted authorities. The rescue was carried out on 3 November.

Commander Gogo said the state of those discovered inside the church was alarming. “When we came in, we found that the condition the women and children were in was very worrying,” he told reporters. “All of them were sleeping on the floor of the church, and this was dangerous.” 

He added that the lack of mosquito nets increased the risk of malaria, especially among children, in an area known for its high mosquito population. Police said the church’s proprietor is still at large and that investigations are underway to determine whether more people may be affected. 

The raid forms part of a wider crackdown on unregistered religious groups suspected of operating outside legal and ethical boundaries. In a separate case earlier this year, 57 people were rescued from the St Joseph Mission of Africa Church in Kochola Village, Migori County. 

That operation, in April, followed a tip-off from a local assistant chief who reported unusual gatherings at the site. Authorities later discovered two bodies on the church premises, one wrapped in ceremonial cloths with visible injuries and another found later the same day.

Police said some of those rescued in Migori resisted medical examination and instead broke into religious chants upon arrival at Rongo Sub-County Hospital.