Politician and preacher Margaret Wanjiru of the Jesus is Alive Ministries has accused the government of being behind what she has termed as the illegal demolition of her church.
Bishop Wanjiru, who previously campaigned vigorously in the General Election but now claims to be abandoned by the Kenya Kwanza Government, alleges sustaining injuries during the incident and is in need of medical treatment.
According to the former Nairobi Governor candidate, several people who identified themselves as DCI and NIS officers paid visits to the property on the Haile Selassie Highway prior to its demolition.
According to Bishop Wanjiru, the situation escalated when people, purporting to be sent by Kenya Railways, forcefully descended upon her property, initiating demolitions and confronting anyone who opposed them.
This incident follows a historical legal battle, as a Nairobi court dismissed a case in 2022 challenging the construction of a wall between Kenya Railways’ land and Bishop Margret Wanjiru’s church.
The case, filed by Jesus Is Alive Ministries (JIAM), Rhambai Patel, S&H Investments, and Soma Properties, targeted Kenya Railways Corporation, Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS), and Kenya Urban Roads Authority. The petitioners claimed that the ongoing development obstructed their access to Railway Lane, Exchange Lane, Weruga Lane, and Haile Selassie Avenue.
Kenya Railways, in response, argued that the entire area occupied by Wanjiru’s church and neighboring properties belonged to them. According to Railways, the allocations to these properties were irregularly made and separated from its own land. The situation remains tense, and Bishop Wanjiru vows to seek justice for what she perceives as an unjust and forceful demolition of her church.