Pastor wedded in same church he burglarised years earlier
Peter Kipngeno Cheruiyot displays a cerficate he was awarded after graduating from Kaboson Pastors school run by the Africa Gospel Church in Bomet county in this photo taken on March 28, 2022.
He was jailed for a total of 23 years and eight months, with 20 strokes of the cane, in five cases of burglary and stealing, but the prison experience changed his life, turning him into a carpenter and a pastor.
Mr Peter Kipngeno Cheruiyot broke into Africa Gospel Church (AGC) in Bomet town on December 26, 1999, but in a twist of fate, he returned to the same church, trained as a pastor and married his wife in it 13 years later.
“I broke into the church where I was a member and stole Sh3,000 from a metallic safe box, but after my arrest, arraignment, sentencing and serving term, I returned to the same church, confessed and refunded Sh6,000,” said Mr Cheruiyot in an interview.
He wedded the love of his life, Naomi, in the church on December 8, 2012 with Rev Stephen Ngeno presiding.
“When I was courting my wife, I told her the story of my life without holding back any bit. She understood the kind of person she was getting involved with. She has been understanding and supportive,” Mr Cheruiyot revealed.
When he learned that police had arrested two of his accomplices in several criminal activities, he fled to a neighbouring county, where he hid for two years.
“I later learnt that when I went underground, my mother Sarah Koech was arrested by the police and held for almost a month for allegedly harbouring a criminal, but she was later released. My father, Samwel Koech, was let off the hook as he operated a business away from home.”
After two years on the run, he sneaked back home but was arrested while playing pool with other young men in Bomet town. He was subsequently charged in court and pleaded guilty to burglary and stealing.
Mr Peter Kipngeno Cheruiyot, a jailbird turned pastor taking measurements of a table at his workshop in Bomet town on March, 28, 2022
Mr Cheruiyot, who was imprisoned on November 15, 2002, was released on August 23, 2010 according to his prison record, having served eight of the 11 years he was given, as the sentences in the five cases ran concurrently, with remissions factored in.
He served prison terms in the Kericho, Nakuru and Naivasha maximum prisons before his release and subsequent reintegration into society.
“I started with stealing eggs at home while in secondary school. I sold them and used the proceeds to buy cigarettes. With my accomplices, we progressed to burglary and used the money to drink alcohol in Bomet town.”
He sat his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) at St Michael’s Secondary in Bomet township but he later made crime his main occupation, disguising himself as a car wash attendant during the day.
He used the proceeds from crime to buy electronic goods and built a semi-permanent house for himself.
“I later demolished the house when I was released from prison as I did not want to live in a house constructed with proceeds of crime.”
In prison, he trained as a carpenter and attained Grade II. He uses those skills to provide for his family.
The 38-year-old father of two now runs a carpentry workshop in Bomet town, and three former convicts work for him as casuals in a bid to impact their lives positively.
Peter Kipngeno Cheruiyot, a former jailbird turned carpenter at his workshop with a colleague Mr Stanley Cheruiyot (right) in Bomet town on March, 28, 2022.
But he also admits that he engaged in illicit trade in prison, dealing in cigarettes and bhang smuggled in by corrupt wardens, before he quit it altogether and fully embraced Christianity.
“The select prison wardens used to smuggle in the drugs, which were secretly sold in the cells that were awash with money. The drugs were sneaked into the facility by the officers in a web involving many outsiders.” said Mr Cheruiyot, a resident of Kaptebengwo village, Chepngaina sub-location, Bomet County.
He was arrested in 2006 in the Naivasha maximum security prison when he was found in possession of bhang and placed in solitary confinement for one week.
One day in 2010, his life changed for the better. After a lot of soul-searching, he decided to embrace Christianity during sermons administered by members of the Correctional Ministry, which was run by a couple, Stephen and Alene Burgert, from Colorado in the United States.
Upon his release from prison, he returned to his home and rejoined his family and the local community. He went to church and confessed to stealing the cash, voluntarily refunded the money, giving double the amount he had taken and shocking the faithful.
The money was received by Rev Felix Korir, who with other pastors offered prayers for him after the confession in a packed Sunday church service.
Mr Cheruiyot then enrolled at Kaboson Pastors Training College in May 2011 and graduated three years later, marking a turnaround in his life.
In a letter from Senior Superintendent of Prisons Joseph Longorianyang, the ex-convict was appointed a chaplain at the Bomet prisons in August 2013 under the Correctional Ministry.
“Mr Cheruiyot is an honest, hardworking member of the society involved in development projects, a volunteer in various community projects and initiatives, and has helped to rehabilitate many former convicts in the area,” said Mr Richard Kirui, the Chepngaina sub-location chief.
He is also a member of the county ward bursary committee and the Bomet Central Constituency Development Fund (CDF) committee member at the community level.
“I was jailed when the prisons department faced a myriad of challenges and human rights abuses. But the reforms initiated by former vice-president Moody Awori in President Mwai Kibaki’s administration completely turned things around for the better,” said Mr Cheruiyot.
“President Uhuru Kenyatta has built on the reforms and I am hoping a future government will further strengthen the changes.”
He admits that prison life is tough and all efforts should be made to have a crime-free society.
“Even tougher is trying to fit into the society after being convicted and released. Everyone treats you with a lot of suspicions and you need a lot of support pillars for reintegration,” he said.
His engagement with the church and community development issues made it easier to build trust with residents who slowly but surely embraced him.
He volunteers as a preacher at the Bomet prisons even after the Correctional Ministry-funded programme ended in June last year.
He mobilises the local community and traders to donate food items and other support to prisoners.
“I am happy to be back in society, have a family and participate in community development. I urge the youth to avoid engaging in any form of crime and focus on improving their lives,” he said.
