Court allows police to hold 'Yesu wa Tongaren' for 4 more days
Eliud Wekesa alias Yesu wa Tongaren is led to the cells after he appeared before Principal Magistrate Tom Olando at the Bungoma Law Courts on May 11, 2023.
What you need to know:
- Police want to ascertain the mental status of Mr Wekesa, leader of New Jerusalem Church, in their investigation into alleged offences including cult activities.
A court in Bungoma County on Friday locked up Eliud Wekesa, alias Yesu wa Tongaren, for four more days to allow a mental health evaluation.
Police want to ascertain the mental status of Mr Wekesa, leader of New Jerusalem Church, in their investigation into alleged offences including cult activities.
He is accused of running a religious cult in Tongaren, purporting to be Jesus Christ, teaching radical ideologies to his followers, some of whom are minors, as well as practising and promoting money laundering.
The religious leader will be held at Bungoma Police Station, Principal Magistrate Tom Mark Olando said in his ruling.
Mr Olando directed that investigations be conducted within four days to enable the court to give a ruling on whether or not the accused can take a plea.
"The court expects the DCI to take the accused for a psychiatric assessment, conduct thorough investigations of his church and search his residential premises within the four days," Mr Olando said.
Before his arraignment on Thursday afternoon, Mr Wekesa, a self-proclaimed ‘Jesus’, had been grilled by sleuths for three consecutive days.
He spent Thursday night in a cell after a court in Bungoma said it would rule on his fate on Friday. The police had asked the court to allow them to detain him for seven days for interrogation and further investigations.
Elijah Macharia, the Bungoma County director of criminal investigations, said they wanted more time to take the accused for a psychiatric assessment to ascertain his mental status.
Mr Macharia, in a sworn affidavit, claimed the accused had refused to undergo the checks.
The police further requested the court to grant them a search warrant for Mr Wekesa’s house and place of worship. They also argued that he would interfere with witnesses if released from their custody.
Mr Wekesa's lawyer Wamalwa Simiyu objected to the request to detain his client, faulting the police for arresting and arraigning him without conducting proper investigations.
The case will be mentioned on May 16.
