MOMBASA, Kenya – Police have rescued 27 people, including 20 children, from a suspected religious cult operating out of a church in Mombasa's Changamwe Sub-county, authorities confirmed on Monday, November 3, 2025. The raid on the Zion Fire Anointing Ministries Church revealed children as young as two living in deplorable conditions, denied education and medical care, in a case that evokes the national trauma of the Shakahola forest massacre.

Changamwe Sub-County Police Commander Patrick Gogo stated that the operation was launched following a tip-off from the public. The breakthrough reportedly came after a woman and her children managed to escape the church on Friday, October 31, and reported the situation to the authorities. “We received information that a woman had pulled her children out of school and confined them in the church,” Gogo told journalists on Monday. Officers subsequently stormed the premises, finding the group living in seclusion, completely cut off from the outside world.

Inside the church, police discovered suitcases and personal belongings, indicating the individuals were residing there permanently. Commander Gogo described the scene as “disturbing” and “heartbreaking,” noting that the women and children were sleeping on the bare floor without mosquito nets, posing a significant health risk in the malaria-prone coastal region. “The situation we found the women and children in was heartbreaking. They were lying on bare floors, covered only with blankets, in an area with many mosquitoes. This was a clear risk to their lives,” Patrick said.

Children Denied Education During National Exams

The rescued children are aged between two and fifteen years old. Authorities expressed grave concern that many were of school-going age and had been deliberately kept from their education at a time when national examinations, including the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), were underway. “Some of the children are of school-going age and should currently be sitting for their Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), but they were locked away,” Gogo added.

All 27 individuals were taken to the Changamwe Police Station for questioning and processing. Child welfare services are expected to be involved in the care and placement of the minors. The seven adults are being held for interrogation to establish the nature of the church's activities and the extent of the alleged indoctrination. As of Tuesday morning, police were still searching for the leader or owner of the church, who had not presented themselves for questioning.

Echoes of Shakahola and the Push for Regulation

This incident occurs against the backdrop of a nationwide crackdown on religious extremism following the horrific discovery of the Shakahola massacre in 2023 and 2024, where hundreds of followers of cult leader Paul Mackenzie starved to death. The Mombasa raid has reignited public debate about the urgent need for stricter government oversight of religious organizations.

In response to Shakahola, President William Ruto appointed a task force to review the regulatory framework for religious bodies. This led to the drafting of The Religious Organisations Bill, 2024, which is currently before the Senate. The bill proposes the establishment of a robust enforcement agency to register and monitor religious organizations, their activities, and their financial returns to prevent exploitation and extremism. Attorney General Justin Muturi has previously told Parliament that the existing Societies Act is outdated and inadequate for tackling modern religious challenges.

The events at Zion Fire Anointing Ministries Church serve as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities that extremist sects exploit. As investigations continue in Mombasa, the case will be a critical test of the government's resolve to implement the lessons learned from Shakahola and prevent such tragedies from recurring.