Othaya Church Violence Sparks Outcry as Gema Watho Demands Accountability Over Witima Incident
By Peace Muthoka
Nairobi, January 26,2026 – A sense of anger and disbelief hung in the air as leaders of the Gema Watho Association addressed journalists on Monday over the violence reported at Witima ACK Church in Othaya. What should have been a quiet place of prayer, they said, instead became a place of fear. For worshippers who had gathered seeking peace, the experience has left deep emotional scars and renewed questions about safety in public spaces.
Reading the statement, Gema Watho chairman Wambugu Wanjohi spoke with measured calm, yet his words carried urgency. He reminded Kenyans that the association brings together advocates from the Gikuyu, Embu, Meru and Kamba communities, united by a shared duty to defend the Constitution, the rule of law and human dignity. “We speak where silence would amount to complicity,” he said, stressing that the group acts whenever authority is abused at the expense of ordinary citizens.
He then turned to the events at Witima ACK Church and described them as a line that should never be crossed. According to the statement, a place of worship was transformed into a scene of panic, with reports of tear gas, live bullets and force used against unarmed leaders and civilians. “That is not normal. It is not acceptable. It is not lawful,” Wanjohi read. He emphasized that churches are meant to be safe spaces, where children sit beside elders and prayers replace fear.
As the statement continued, the chairman warned that the Othaya incident was not an isolated case. Instead, he said, it reflects a troubling pattern in which violence and intimidation are slowly becoming normalized around political activity. The association accused the government, through both action and silence, of giving space and credibility to criminal gangs and goons. In doing so, he warned, lawful authority is weakened and fear takes its place.
Still reading, Wanjohi said the country now risks reaching a point where no part of life is too small to control and no constitutional protection is too big to ignore. When even a church service is disrupted by force, he asked, what space remains truly sacred? For many listening, the question resonated deeply, especially those who turn to churches for comfort in difficult times.
He then addressed the police officers involved, shifting from reflection to accountability. The era of unchecked abuse, he said, is over. Kenya is a constitutional democracy, and every action taken in uniform is subject to the law, public scrutiny and independent oversight. “The badge is not a shield against responsibility,” he read, adding that it is a symbol of trust that demands restraint and respect for human life.
Around him, other Gema Watho members nodded in agreement. Some whispered quietly among themselves as the statement underscored the role of the police. Their duty, the association said, is to protect, not to terrorize. They exist to preserve peace, not to manufacture chaos. Any officer who uses force against unarmed civilians, and any commander who allows it, violates the oath of office and betrays the Constitution.
From condemnation, the association moved to clear demands. Gema Watho called for the immediate intervention of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA). It wants prompt, independent and public investigations into what happened at Witima ACK Church. Accountability, the group insisted, must not stop with officers on the ground. It must extend to those who planned, authorized or failed to stop the operation. Justice, the statement said, must be real and visible.
The warning that followed was firm. If IPOA fails to act with urgency, Gema Watho said it is ready to pursue private prosecutions as provided for under the law. The conduct witnessed in Othaya, the association argued, carries elements of terror because it involved deliberate violence in a place of worship to instill fear and suppress lawful activity. Accountability, they said, will not remain hostage to institutional delay or political convenience.
The group also drew lessons from Kenya’s painful past, invoking the Waki Report. That report warned against state tolerance of organized violence, informal gangs and weak accountability within security agencies. Those lessons, Wanjohi read, were never optional. Ignoring them is how societies slide from isolated abuses into the collapse of the rule of law. Gema Watho vowed not to allow those warnings to fade into memory.
Attention then shifted to the country’s top security leadership. The association directly named Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, saying they bear personal and institutional responsibility for the conduct of the National Police Service. Silence, delay or vague statements, they warned, would be read as approval. They also urged the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to act, stressing that reports of live ammunition, tear gas and destruction of property are serious constitutional and criminal matters.
Addressing the public, the association offered reassurance. “You are not alone,” the statement said. Gema Watho pledged to defend victims in court and urged Kenyans to speak out. Citizens were encouraged to document violations responsibly, using their mobile phones to record what they witness. Evidence, the group said, protects truth and restrains denial.
