The Ministry of Repentance and Holiness Church, led by self-proclaimed prophet Dr David Owuor, has reiterated that it was not trying to manipulate the direction of an investigative piece on the church when it sent money to TV47 crew members.
After winding up their exclusive interview with Prophet Owuor, each of the TV47 crew members received KSh20,000 each from the church via their M-Pesa numbers. At the time, Prophet Owuor himself said the money was not meant to manipulate the investigative piece, but to bless the crew.
“So nani you have blessed them with KSh20,000 each yes? Okay so you go and work, that is from the Lord to you okay? It has nothing to do with the story but just to bless you because of this (pointing to his wristwatch repeatedly),” Prophet Owuor explained to the crew.
The crew, however, refunded the money.
Church clarifies
But in a rejoinder, the church insists that TV47 crew members misread the whole situation.
“We as a Church simply wanted to bless you together with your team, BECAUSE WE SAW HOW YOU TOILED WITH YOUR TEAM until about 1 AM in the deep of night,” Mutai says in a WhatsApp message to Macharia Gachuru, TV47’s Editorial Director. “We are all mature and [we] understand that the normal working hours for you and your crew is normally between 9 AM to 5 PM; and we really felt sorry for you and your team when THE RECORDING REGARDING HIV HEALINGS STARTED LATE AND ENDED DEEP IN THE NIGHT WAY PAST 1 AM.”
Mutai insists the church did not want to come out as abusers who take advantage of others, and that is why the KSh20,000 was merely a “love offering”, and not a bribe.
“Therefore, we did not want to look like we were taking undue advantage of you people, to make you work late deep into the night. However, because you have rejected it, we will now use it for another worthy cause to reach-out to God’s people.”
HIV healings
Even after the investigative piece unearthed a masked deception on the side of the church, TV47 independently verifying the claims of miraculous healings as fake, the church insists that indeed Prophet Owuor has healed several Kenyans of HIV.
“In any case, THE HIV HEALINGS ARE STRAIGHT-FORWARD FACTS AND TRUTH THAT HAVE BEEN FULLY MEDICALLY VERIFIED AND WELL-ESTABLISHED. As a matter of fact, we are right now celebrating the new HIV VERIFICATION RESULTS of Millicent Awino that just came back from SOUTH AFRICA yesterday – A CLEAN PURE HIV NEGATIVE. As you are well aware, this is the case that the CS of Health had said should be investigated.”
A history of controversy
Controversial miracle claims are not new to Prophet Owuor’s ministry. In 2017, he claimed to have resurrected a woman known as Mama Rosa from West Pokot, a claim that drew nationwide attention. Mama Rosa later died on January 22, 2019.
The prophet has also faced past allegations involving property disputes, lifestyle questions, and criticism from former church insiders, including claims by whistleblower Nelson Amenya, who has publicly distanced himself from the ministry.
Kenya’s deeply religious society continues to grapple with the intersection of faith, medicine and accountability.
With more than 4,000 registered churches serving millions of believers, religious scholars warn that unchecked claims and lack of oversight can expose vulnerable followers to harm.
As debates rage on, health experts and regulators continue to emphasise one message: faith should not replace scientifically proven medical care especially for chronic and life-threatening conditions.
