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Mob lynches pastor accused of sodomy
A pastor accused of sodomising a nine-year-old boy in Nyeri’s Witemere slums was lynched by a mob on May 31, 2025.
A pastor accused of sodomising a nine-year-old boy in Nyeri’s Witemere slums was lynched by a mob on Saturday morning.
The suspect, Simon Ndegwa, a pastor at the True Disciple Ministry in Majengo, was attacked by a mob that accused him of being a repeat offender.
Nyeri Central Sub-County Police Commander Andrew Mbogo said police arrived at the scene after the mob had already set the suspect on fire.
"It was too late when the police arrived. Locals say that the pastor is a repeat offender. However, this is subject to investigations," he said.
Mr Mbogo said that preliminary information gathered by police indicate that this was the fourth time the suspect had been accused of sodomy. Some of the alleged incidents are said to have occurred in Nanyuki.
Locals said the boy had been sent to the shop by his mother. On his way home, he was intercepted by the suspect, a man well-known to the family. The suspect is said to have taken the minor to his house, where he defiled him. Afterwards, the suspect sent the boy home.
Upon arrival, the boy’s mother noticed that he was having difficulty walking. When she questioned him, he said the man had assaulted him. The mother alerted the neighbours.
Police say that the minor was taken to hospital for treatment.
The incident comes barely a week after police uncovered the body of a seven-year-old girl in the same area.
Tamara Blessing, 7, who was killed in Nyeri town.
Last Monday, police discovered the body of Tamara Blessing, 7, who had been reported missing for three days. The body was buried beneath the bed of Nicholas Macharia at his home in Witemere area in the Majengo slums.
Speaking outside the morgue on Saturday, a family friend, Jackline Ruguru, asked the public to remain calm as the family awaited the final pathologist report.
"Preliminary findings show that over 90 per cent of what was reported could be true, however, the police have asked the family to remain patient as investigations continue," she said.
During the post-mortem on Friday, she said that the government pathologist collected specimen from the deceased, for further analysis.
At the same time, pupils of Judah Primary School held a memorial service for Tamara, who was a grade one pupil at the institution. The school community celebrated her as a bright and cheerful child.
She will be buried in Solio on Tuesday.