Benedict Keya

Benedict Keya (extreme left) with Legio Maria founder Messiah Melkio Ondeto. 

| Pool | Nation Media Group

From Legio Maria altar boy to a senior accountant

What you need to know:

  • My main fear was meeting people who knew me before; in my own eyes, I was a spectacular failure. 
  • My dream had been one day graduating and building a professional career; but here I was living a very low life.

After going through a life that can read like a script of a Nigerian movie which Kenyans love so much, I have come to learn that three things are very important in this life - to have absolute trust in God and His promises, that Simeo Melkio and his church was and still is largely misunderstood and the power of unity in a family that rallies together to rescue one of its own.

I was a top scorer and maintained my number one position at nearly all the end of term examinations at Nzoia Sugar Primary school, and my first choice for secondary education was Moi High School, Kabarak. However, to my dismay, I received an acceptance letter from Nakuru High School. 

I later found out that Nakuru High School was a technical school recently turned into a national school. All of my fellow new classmates that I found there had not chosen it either but received calling letters. 

It was in 1989, when in Form Two, the second term, that disaster struck. It started with endless headaches, which later morphed into something else. I used to have this burning sensation as if someone was placing a hot iron box inside me. It was mainly concentrated on my stomach and back. It was the kind of pain I can never forget as long as I live. 

Sleeping was a nightmare because I had to dip a towel in very cold water, tie it around my stomach then sleep on the hard floor to lessen the pain. Many are the times I feared that I was going to die.

Sneaked out of school

Fearing for my life, I enlisted a classmate's help and sneaked out of school and went to my parents in Nzoia Sugar Factory, where my father worked.

Then there were the trips to various medical experts, none of whom could diagnose what was ailing me. My parents, staunch devotees of Legio Maria, decided to seek the Messiah's intervention.

We drove with my father almost 300 kilometres from Bungoma to Migori, ending up at the church's Jerusalem Amoyo headquarters, where we met Melkio. 

Coming face to face with the man himself was humbling; after all, I had grown up hearing so much about him both from my parents and other faithful who were frequent visitors to our home.

There was some powerful aura around the man, something which is hard to describe. At the same time, some love oozed from him. He was an enigma of sorts.

After my father laid bare what was ailing me, Melkio calmly told us that I would be healed and go back to school. No laying of hands and no ritualistic prayers I had expected. 

Benedict Keya

Benedict Keya (second right) with Legio Maria founder Messiah Melkio Ondeto. 

Photo credit: Pool | Nation Media Group

Even though I was baptised in the Catholic Church, my parents converted to Legio Maria when I was very young, so I grew up as a Legio Maria adherent. Whilst I found the church's prayers and teachings normal, I also noticed that most non-believers looked down upon us.

Those days, we used to have pastoral programs in school where students were supposed to congregate in their denominations for pastoral studies. We were being asked in class which church we belonged to, and when I said I was a Legio Maria, everyone burst out laughing!

To make it even more complicated, we were neither categorised as Catholics nor Protestants, but luckily, we had few teachers who were Legio Marias, so we formed our own group. I remember we were three families in the school who belonged to the Legio Maria church, so we used to encourage and support one another.

I also remember when we had a teacher who was saved in one of the evangelical churches. He used to teach us Geography, History and Civics. There was a day when instead of teaching, he spent the entire lesson castigating our church because we were "lost". It was so painful that even the other students felt it and consoled me after the lesson.

But my parents were staunch members of the church and my role models as well. And I always believed that my parents can never be wrong so despite all that, I cannot say that I was ever ashamed of the church, partly because of my parents' staunch belief and also because of witnessing people coming to the church with various problems including illnesses and being prayed for and healed.

No respite 

We went back home, and soon the third term was beginning but with no respite for me. My father once again took to the wheel as we decided to seek another opinion from Melkio, and this time, my mother, who was a high school teacher, took charge.

Melkio was always travelling, spreading his gospel to different parts, mostly in Nyanza and Western Kenya, and this time, they found him at a place called Barding' in what is now Siaya County.

After my mother explained that I had not yet healed, all Melkio said was, "Leave the boy with me, and I will return him to you when he is grown up. He will be healed and will help you a lot when he is grown up."

My parents went back home, and I felt disappointed, especially in my mother, for leaving me with these strangers. At that point, it was hard to imagine that she was doing it for my own good. I felt abandoned.

From then on, I became part of Melkio's convoy, travelling with him wherever he went. At one point, we were at Nyadorera near Busia County, and my mother visited. I remember tearfully telling her that I wanted to go home with her.

My mother simply asked me which was better - staying with the Messiah and getting healed or going back with her and possibly ending up in the grave? I agreed to stay.

Living here entailed prayers and more prayers and running errands as assigned by the church. My main fear was meeting people who knew me before. In my own eyes, I was a spectacular failure. 

Felt like a failure

Given my earlier bright start in life, topping my school in KCPE and finding myself in a national school, here I was now living a very simple life in a misunderstood church deep in the countryside and with no defined plan for the future other than the faith that what Melkio had prophesied would come to pass.

This was quite a complex scenario to explain to anyone. I felt like a failure because I knew my potential and could also hear how my classmates were doing, some of whom I used to perform better than them in class. I feared meeting them because, in my view, it would be impossible for them to understand my predicament.

Hitherto, I had my dreams of maybe one day graduating and building a professional career. But here I was living a very low life. Our church is not yet as established as say, the Catholic church, so life there is quite simple.

Never in my imagination did I ever think I would end up like this. My high school education however came in handy as I could read and write English and Swahili. In a way, this elevated me into the Messiah's inner circle, where I acted as his secretary taking notes and writing his speeches and letters.

This was however, short-lived because Melkio died a few months later. When Timothy Atila - (the man's original name was Hitler, but it was 'Luonised') - took over the reins of the church, I felt it was time for me to move on.

I went back home and told my parents that I wanted to go back to school. A place was found at Pan Paper High School in Webuye. Believe you me, when I was readying myself to start school, the sickness returned.

Once more, I packed my bags and went back to the church headquarters. A few days later, the sickness disappeared. I then decided to throw myself to God's service and was one of the drivers for Pope Atila, while also serving as an altar boy.

Allowed to leave 

Pope Atila passed away in 1998 and was succeeded by Pope Lawrence Chiaji. I approached the new Pope and detailed my journey up to that moment and let him know of my intention to leave.

He decided to let me go but with the caveat that if the sickness returned, I was free to return to the church.

Immediately I got my release, I relocated to Kisumu town, where my father was now working in one of the government parastatals. I decided to learn mechanics and even did and passed the Government Trade Grade Three Test with my driving experience.

I have always been an avid reader, and I soon enrolled at the British Council library in Kisumu to borrow books. My father, noting this interest, advised me to register as a private candidate to have at least a Form Four certificate.

Accessing laboratories would be difficult if I enrolled for the 8-4-4 system, so I opted for the British GCE. My brothers came in handy, helping in tutoring in Mathematics. I passed with flying colours and went ahead to register for A levels, which again I passed.

In 2002, I joined Catholic University for a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) and graduated with a First Class Degree.

Benedict Keya

Benedict Keya, who holds a First Class Degree in Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) from Catholic University.

Photo credit: Pool | Nation Media Group

I was headhunted and got my first job at the accounting firm Deloitte even before my graduation ceremony. I later worked at Mumias Sugar and had a brief stint at PwC, and I am now the head of finance at an international NGO based in Nairobi.

There are some interesting bits to this story. On joining CUEA, I noticed a lady who was a dean and whose husband was known to me from our church headquarters. The lady always invited me to pass by her office.

There was one hurdle, however. The lady's secretary was my former classmate in primary school. Since I could not account for the gap in my education - nearly 10 years - I feared running into people who knew me earlier; I didn't want to risk exposure.

Inspired by my story

With time I gathered courage and went. Interestingly, we struck a rapport with my former classmate. My story so inspired the lady that she went back to school, earning a PhD degree in the process and is now lecturing in Zambia, which is a very long way from her former life as a secretary.

Benedict Keya

Benedict Keya at work in Somaliland. 

Photo credit: Pool | Nation Media Group

In one of the places I worked in audit, I ran into a former classmate in Nakuru High. The man was so shocked to see me. Because I left school very sick and nobody knew what happened afterwards, my classmates and the rest of the school concluded that I had died. Talk of resurrection!

Today, I am married with two children who are in primary school. I'm still a staunch member of Legio Maria.