Police officers bar faithful from accessing Mombasa Methodist Church

Hundreds of faithful got a rude shock on Sunday after they were barred by armed police officers from accessing Methodist Church of Kenya in Changamwe, Mombasa

The deployment of the police at the church was an escalation of the wrangles that started after the July 24, 2025 ouster of its presiding Bishop,Isaiah Deye.

A section of church elders are demanding the reinstatement of Bishop Deye, who was removed by his predecessors, Bishops Lawi Imathiu and Stephen Kanyaru.

Acting Mombasa Synod Bishop Reverend David Ochami has called for the introduction of devolution, saying it was crucial to end persistent leadership disputes.

Imathiu and Kanyaru announced the removal of Bishop Deye on July 24 and installed themselves in power and shared positions in the church conference office.

Church members led by Munjiri Ikiamba complained that they were not aware of the police deployment to the premises. 

Ikiamba said the church leaders have failed to solve their differences, and that one of them had resolved to use the police to barricade the entrance of the church.

“Today, when we came to the church for our spiritual nourishment, we were shocked to find armed police officers at the church’s door turning away the worshippers,” he said.

Ikiamba said the divisions in the church’s leadership stem from demands for an audit of the Sh84 million land compensation by the Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA).

KeNHA paid compensation for the land that was compulsorily acquired for the expansion of the road over 10 years ago.

“When we got elected last year, we decided to ask how the money was used, but instead of getting the answers, the leadership of the church started fighting us,” claimed Ikiamba.

The new church was built 10 years ago after KeNHA demolished the old one to expand the highway from Changamwe roundabout to Miritini.

“We have not been given an auditor's report on how the church’s money was spent during the construction of the new church, and that is why we are being fought,” claimed Ikiamba.

A faithful, Joseph Kimanthi, asked the police to stop intimidating those who are asking genuine questions about the unexplained activities in the church.

He claimed that a senior police officer from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters in Kiambu issued threats against him over his stand for accountability of the church's funds.

Kimanthi demanded to know who gave the police his number and why they were threatening him for seeking the truth about how money was spent during the construction of the new church.

He said some church leaders who do not want the worshippers to stop demanding for accountability have resolved to use unorthodox means to silence them.

"We are asking senior police officers in the Coast Region to stop some of their officers from misusing the junior police officers to intimidate the worshippers," said Kimanthi.

He said the use of armed police officers to stop faithful from accessing the church to pray was a violation of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of worship.

Kimanthi warned the local church leaders against frustrating faithful who are demanding accountability for funds.

He warned that the failure of the church’s leadership to address concerns raised by faithful within seven days, they will seek legal redress.

“We have given the church’s leadership seven days to stop wrangles in the church, or we will go to court and seek legal redress of the complaints raised about the leadership in the church,” said Kiamanthi.