In the quiet heart of Awendo Sub-County, Migori County, where faith once flourished under the shadow of sacred walls, devastation struck like a thunderbolt. Worshippers at God’s Last Appeal Church in Sangla Kagak watched in stunned disbelief as their place of refuge crumbled—not under the forces of nature, but by the hands of the very elder who had once granted them sanctuary.
Mzee George Ouma, a revered church elder, took matters into his own hands on Thursday, May 22 shattering years of spiritual communion and trust. Midway through a solemn prayer service, where even the sick had gathered seeking divine intervention, he stormed in, expelled the faithful, and personally oversaw the destruction of the sanctuary that stood on his land.
“I gave them my land, but what have I gained?” Ouma demanded of reporters, his voice thick with frustration. “People are eating while I am starving. Do they not see my suffering? That is why I sent them away.”
The elder, a man burdened by the weight of two households, lamented unfulfilled promises that had long festered beneath the surface of his generosity. According to him, church leaders had implied they would support his children’s education, assist his struggling family, and mediate peace within his kin,yet none of these pledges materialized.
The church leadership, caught off guard, struggled to contain their disappointment. Bishop Ken Ngaji, speaking in the aftermath of the shocking event, admitted that Ouma’s donation had stemmed from a deep personal testimony, but emphasized that no formal agreement had ever been established.
“We are devastated,” the bishop confessed. “This serves as a lesson to all, land given to a religious institution must be done wholeheartedly, and if conditions exist, they must be clearly documented. Now, we urgently seek a new home for our worship.”
For congregants, however, faith turned into sorrow as they watched their sanctuary fall.
“This was beyond imagination,” whispered one shaken church member. “We never knew the elder carried such burdens in his heart.”
