Mwalimu Yesu wa Thangole, a man from Bungoma, has attracted a huge following of believers who claim that he is Jesus Christ who performs miracles.The man who leads a church in Bungoma claimed that God gave him the name before instructing him to preach the gospel.
“I am Jesus Christ. Many ask if I am the real Christ, and I affirm to them that I am,” he alleged.
In an interview in late December 2022, the man detailed his mission to spread the word of God not only in Kenya but across the globe.
“Jesus is not for one country, but he is for the whole world,” he added.
However, the man is surrounded by 12 disciples, just like Jesus in the Bible and his disciples mimic the descendants of Jacob from Rueben to Benjamin.
One of the disciples, Naftar, allegedly had a vision in 2017 from God who told him visitors will come from Rwanda. According to the disciple, the visitation will be proof of Jesus living amongst them. Naftar, who joined the church in 2014, added that God instructed him on how to dress when the visitors arrive, how they would arrive in their vehicles, and what to feed them.
During his private sessions with his disciples, Mwalimu Yesu as people refers to him reads from the scripture while the disciples kneel down, worshipping him. His disciples wear similar robes that cover their heads to their toes.
Interestingly, Mwalimu Yesu has two churches. His congregants go from one church to the next. One of the churches is made of mud with two doors and several windows, while the main church is concrete. In the first church, the congregants remove their shoes before repenting of their sins to be allowed to progress to the next.
“I fully believe this man is Jesus, he heals and delivers,” one of the congregants stated.
However, Mwalimu Yesu is married with eight children, five boys, and three girls. This has attracted cynicism from some members of the public who argue that Jesus in the Bible was not married.
Following these doubts and loopholes, Mwalimu Yesu used Revelations 21:9 to defend himself.
“And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, ‘Come here, I will show you the Lamb’s wife’,” read the verse.
According to Mwalimu Yesu, ‘the Lamb’s wife’ part of the verse gave him permission to marry and procreate.
“Sick people come to this church, and you may think they are so close to death but Jesus always intervenes and they are healed,” Mwalimu Yesu’s wife claimed.
Article By Suzy Nyongesa.