Bishop Kimanthi points out that while witchcraft remains a sensitive and frightening topic worldwide, it continues to infiltrate religious spaces under the guise of prosperity preaching. He cautions that even some of the wealthiest pastors, owning personal jets and living lavishly, could be practicing witchcraft.
Religious leaders, including evangelists, pastors, and bishops, are increasingly using witchcraft to solve people’s problems, according to Kenyan preacher Bishop Benson Kimanthi. He warns that some of these leaders, whom he equates to witches, exploit the vulnerability of community members, particularly the poor and the extremely rich.
Bishop Kimanthi points out that while witchcraft remains a sensitive and frightening topic worldwide, it continues to infiltrate religious spaces under the guise of prosperity preaching. He cautions that even some of the wealthiest pastors, owning personal jets and living lavishly, could be practicing witchcraft.
"Some of them even own personal jets, but they are witches. Where they go, you can’t go, but they are witches. They also sacrifice. This wealth doesn’t come from God. But people want quick riches; they don’t want to believe in somebody they cannot see," Kimanthi said.
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He added that those who seek quick wealth through such preachers often experience financial ruin.
"And I will tell you, the person who gets rich is the one who is selling. You may get a few coins here and there. But later, you will begin to see poverty striking, mishaps in your life, and your destiny blocked," he said.
Stories of churchgoers being sold items such as handkerchiefs, holy water, and olive oil are not limited to Kenya and Tanzania. Similar reports are now common in Uganda’s major towns as well. These pastors’ teachings often focus on casting out demons and causing followers to fall under their anointing.
There is growing concern that pastors who claim to have the power to “chase off” demons or pray for wealth are instead impoverishing their congregants, mainly targeting women and young people. Similar methods are used by traditional witches, who ask for money, chickens, goats, cows, and beer as offerings.
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“They concentrate on casting demons, making possessed people fall under their anointing. Now this is witchcraft. And we are battling with this all over. And there is nothing as difficult as trying to convince somebody who believes that he was a minister, he was called. But he is actually operating in a familiar spirit, which is actually witchcraft,” Kimanthi observed.
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Why Are Women More Prone to Witchcraft Preachers?
On the question of why women are more susceptible, Kimanthi explained that the devil manipulates genders differently, knowing their strengths. “Basically, a woman is very strong in things of the spirit or esoteric. The woman is very strong. She is able to discover things in the spirit more than men," he said.
“Because men want evidence, they want empiricism. Women want what works there and then. And you discover why we have many women in our churches," he added.
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Kimathi, who hails from the Akamba community where witchcraft has cultural roots, warned that anyone who encounters and submits to witchcraft will ultimately suffer. “Whenever you encounter witchcraft in any sort and submit to it, later you will be harmed or things will not go right with you. And those who do the witching definitely don’t end up well either. They end up poor because witchcraft is related to poverty," he noted.
How Should the Church Respond to Witchcraft?
Modern-day preachers face the challenge of dealing with witchcraft within the church while adhering to biblical teachings. Some preachers have even declared that witches must die, referencing Old Testament scriptures.
Kimanthi believes the solution lies in the unadulterated word of God. “The pure word of God. Not gimmicks, not talking in tongues. Because a lot of talking in tongues is also witchcraft. It is the word that helps a believer to practically live a righteous life, not a sugar-coated message. What we are used to in the city," he emphasized.
How to Identify and Deal with 'Pastor Witches'
Kimanthi advises churchgoers to carefully observe the character and practices of their leaders.
“If it is a preacher, what is he doing? How does he preach? And also the mistake that these practitioners do is to identify witches through the voice of a demon… they lay hands on a person and then they start talking… they have lowered themselves to the level of getting information from the demon instead of getting information from God," he said.
