A City pastor has found himself in hot soup after the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) launched a probe against him for diverting rent from the church’s property to his personal bank account for more than three years.
Pastor Raphael Nzuki Kituva of Pumwani Good News Church of Africa is said to have directed his personal secretaries Joycaster Wavinya and Alice Nzongolo to be depositing rent directly to his account since January 2017.
The church owns residential houses, shops and parking in its compound – all leased out and the pastor was found to have been receiving rent for all the property from 2017 to the end of last month. The rental income was deposited in the church’s account before the preacher started diverting the cash.
Detective corporal Benson Munyoki of Buruburu DCI offices obtained the orders from senior principal magistrate Lewis Gatheru.
“Around April or May 2020, members of the church had two of them who were in need of financial support to pay for their medical bills and the members wanted the church to assist,” Cpl. Munyoki stated in an affidavit filed at the court.
“Members then asked for the financial position of the church and they were informed that the church did not have any money in its Cooperative Bank account.”
The members questioned Wavinya who disclosed that most of the rental income was deposited into the pastor’s account. They then reported to Buruburu police station.
Cpl. Munyoki was seeking orders to peruse both Kituva’s and his church’s bank account held with Equity and Cooperative Banks respectively.
Equity Bank’s Gikomba branch operations manager was ordered by the court to furnish Cpl. Munyoki with Kituva’s bank statements between January 1, 2017 and May 31, 2020.
The manager is also required to furnish the detective with deposit slips for money deposited into pastor Kituva’s account during the same period.
