OL-JORO OOK, Kenya — Under grey skies at Tabor Hill Spirituality Centre, mourners gathered on Thursday to bury Father John Maina Ndegwa, a Catholic priest whose death has shocked the community and cast a shadow over a church ceremony attended by prominent politicians.
Father Maina, a well-known figure in the Igwamiti parish of Nyahururu, was found injured and abandoned by the roadside along the Gilgil-Nairobi Highway last week. He later died in hospital. His funeral was led by Bishop Joseph Mbatia and attended by dozens of clergy, parishioners, and local leaders.
But grief has quickly turned into questions and growing concern.
According to detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the priest may have been killed over money. Authorities say he was targeted by individuals who believed he had received a donation from former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua during a church event in April.
The DCI claims the assailants wanted a share of that cash. “Fr. Maina was being trailed by some individuals who were demanding a share of the money allegedly given to him after the Silver Jubilee Anniversary Ceremony,” investigators revealed in a statement earlier this week.
The April 27 event, held at a local church in Nyahururu, was attended by several politicians, including Gachagua, who reportedly made a financial contribution to the church. Police have not confirmed the amount involved, and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing on Gachagua’s part.
Friends and family say Father Maina had become increasingly worried for his safety in the days before his death. He confided in close colleagues but did not make an official report to police. “He mentioned he was being followed,” one priest said privately. “We urged him to be careful.”
Initial reports claimed the priest had died at the scene. However, it later emerged that a local motorbike taxi rider described as a good Samaritan found him alive but injured, with visible bruises to the head. He was taken to St. Joseph’s Mission Hospital in Gilgil, where he died during treatment.
As the community mourns, pressure is mounting on authorities to find and prosecute those responsible. Church officials have called for justice, and the DCI has confirmed that investigations are ongoing.
Meanwhile, Father Maina’s final rites were marked by solemn hymns and silent prayer. Bishop Mbatia described him as “a humble servant of God, who gave his life to the church and to the people.”
“He did not deserve to die this way,” the bishop said during the funeral Mass. “Let us not only mourn him, but also seek the truth of what happened.”
Police have not yet made any arrests. But in Nyahururu and beyond, many hope that Father Maina’s death will not be in vain and that it will bring to light the murky intersections of power, money, and faith in Kenya’s public life.
