Christ in Nairobi Did Jesus Christ come to  Nairobi -title


On 11 June this year, a man suddenly appeared before a vast crowd in Nairobi, Kenya, gathered to witness the miracle healings of Kenyan spiritual healer, Mary Akatsa. Instantly recognizing the tall, white-robed figure as “Jesus Christ”, the crowds fell down overcome with emotion. The editor of the Swahili edition of the Kenya Times, Job Mutungi, witnessed the event and wrote the article which we reproduce here.


About 6,000 worshippers at Muslim Village, Kawangware, Nairobi, believe they saw Jesus Christ, in broad daylight last week. It may be hard to believe, but nothing will move them, because “Jesus” addressed them and assured them of a come-back, very soon.

The scene was at the Church of Bethlehem, where Mary Sinaida Akatsa conducts miracle prayers, praying for the sick, the blind, cripples, mad people, the barren and others facing all sorts of personal problems.
On Saturday 4 June 1988 a big, bright star was sighted above the skies by worshippers. It was unusually brighter than ordinary stars. The time was 1 pm.

But on Saturday 11 June it was different. Worshippers were busy singing Mungu ni Mwema, a popular Swahili hymn, when Mary Akatsa interjected. She announced that God had spoken to her and told her to “await a miracle because a very important guest would be coming to give her a very vital message.” People 'braced themselves for the unknown’ while others stared blankly at her, their mouths agape with awe and bewilderment. Five minutes later, she asked those who were singing and dancing to stop as the long-awaited message had arrived. “Jesus! Jesus! Jesus of Nazareth!” went the loud whispers from the crowd as they raised up their hands in submission and divine welcome.

The tall figure of a barefooted white-robed and bearded man appeared from nowhere and stood in the middle of the crowd. He was walking slowly towards the new church building away from the tent. Mary walked with him, side by side. She tried to explain that 20 cripples had managed to walk again a few minutes ago because of the day’s blessings. But nobody, except perhaps a few, heard this. They were busy talking to “The Lord”.

I looked at my watch. It was 4.15 pm. Her voice was drowned by cries and loud moans of “Jesus! Jesu. Yeeesu! You have come. Welcome Jeesus! Wash our sins. Help us Jeesus!” For many, it was the last prayer. It appeared to them the “Son of Man” had at last fulfilled His promise of coming back to earth. They knelt down in emotional prayers in a frantic effort to save their souls at the 11th hour. A man lying near to me urinated in his trousers. But I stared back at the stranger in the meeting without blinking. Strange, sporadic light wafted on top of his turbaned head, his feet and his entire body.

The scene and mood of the worshippers reminded one of the Old Testament times of the Tower of Babel when languages became “confused” (Genesis Chapter 11). Everyone was murmuring something. Others were flat on the ground weeping uncontrollably in praise and worship, in total submission to the occasion. Mama Akatsa appealed for calm. But it was difficult. The “Holy Spirit” had descended. Yes, the vice and crime-infested slums of Kawangware had been transformed into ‘a holy ground’. The man whispered something to Akatsa for about two minutes. She later informed the crowd that the strange man would address them. In clear Swahili, which had no traces of accent, the strange man announced that the people of Kenya were blessed, especially those who had gathered at the venue that afternoon. He said Mary had an important mission to unify people of all races and tribes under the umbrella of God through Jesus.

“I implore you kindly to steadfastly hold on to your faith as the world will be no more. We are nearing the time for the reign of heaven. But before that I shall come back and bring a bucketful of blessings for all of you. Please respect Mary as she is a true representative of ‘The Most High’ ”, the man said and reminded the crowd to live to the teachings of the Bible.
As the strange man was about to leave, two women left their seats and surged forward to where the man and Mary stood. They advanced towards him on their knees, tears streaming down their cheeks. “Shetani Rhihswaah!” the man told the two, and down to the ground they went with a thud, as the ancient Hebrew curse word sent echoes everywhere. The word was used 2,000 years ago to rebuke demons and evil spirits.

It took the crowd nearly 20 minutes to recover after the man left the meeting in a car belonging to a Mr Gurnam Singh, who offered to give him a lift. But it will probably take Mr Singh his lifetime to recover from the shock he got two minutes later. On reaching the bus terminus for KBS Route No 56, the man informed Mr Singh to stop the car as he wanted to alight and head for heaven. On getting out, he did not ascend. He walked a few paces beside the road and simply vanished into thin air. Several people who witnessed this were astonished by his mysterious disappearance.

A few minutes later, a worried Mr Singh came back panting like a cross-channel swimmer accompanied by a group of people from the bus stage, and narrated the strange development. Mary assured the meeting that “Jesus” had gone to heaven.

What baffled many was that Mary, while addressing the crowd in the presence of the strange man, had said the light drizzle being experienced then was to signify the presence of “Jesus”. She had also announced that there would be a heavy downpour later to signify that “Jesus” was back in his “Heavenly Throne”. And, as sure as hell, the rains came. There were floods all over town that evening that caught people unawares. Later, many were reluctant to leave the religious venue and had to be convinced to do so.

Back at Uhuru Park, Rev Bonnke was promising thousands of worshippers and millions of listeners during a live TV and radio transmission that God had, on Thursday, informed him that they would experience the presence of Jesus and great miracles on Saturday. Jesus did indeed come to Nairobi but in a different venue.

There is always a ‘resident’ photographer at Mary Akatsa’s meetings. He takes snapshots of various episodes and later sells them to worshippers at Shs 10 each. In the past, when bright stars appeared in broad daylight above Kawangware, there were only clouds and the blue sky in the photos he had taken. But this time, the photographer, known as Francis Kaburu, managed to take about six snapshots of the strange man, successfully. It is alleged that this may have been a hoax, after all. Already, reports have it that the person cited was a “Jinn” or a mysterious spirit, hence his mysterious disappearance. But Mary Akatsa discounts this contention: “This was Our Lord. He promised in the Bible to come back in different forms ... In any event he was born of a woman and lived on earth”, she said later. And the thousands who witnessed the episode concur with her entirely.

Mr Tofias Onyango, a Nairobi lawyer, is currently busy writing a book on Mary Akatsa’s miracles. He was within the church compound when “Jesus” came but inside a room 100 yards away from where the action was, preparing his manuscript. “So far, the only thing I have been able to witness is a bright star during daylight”, he says, and laments that he missed the “big miracle”.

© Kenya Times. First published in the Kenya Times, 22 June 1988.





“I saw Jesus at Kawangware”
A report by Agnes Mutua who also was present.

I was present and sat in a row along the path. Mary stood in the middle. She just wanted to give a very short speech because she wanted to join Rev Bonnke who had given the announcement: “Jesus is coming to Nairobi”.

I was looking at my watch, it was nearly 2pm, and she was not going. It was 2.20 pm when I saw her calling someone to introduce to the gathering. I was struck in my heart: the person who came along looked like Jesus. Then I heard Mary saying that she got a message from God to stay, the MESSENGER is near. She told him to say hello and he greeted us in Swahili.

He looked like a Sikh -- very light, brownish, golden skin, with sparkling eyes full of light, looking up and down. His hands were radiating light.
He started speaking: “You, Kenyans, are blessed by God.” Then he told Mary that he was sent by his Father to tell her that there is a place near Luanda called Abusiralu where he was told to put up a peg where she will build another church. Kawangware will be the mother church. In that church many ill people will be healed. You will find a lot of people harassing you, but my Father will give power to you to deal with these people. Then he told her to take out of his pocket a golden cross. As Mary took it out, she saw that there were many of them in his pocket, but his gown was not showing a mark, it was straight. Mary showed the cross to the people. Then it vanished. Then he slowly left, he moved along the path. I touched his gown. I asked him to bring back my husband. He gave me a very sad look.

Mr Gurmam Singh offered him a lift. At 56 Stage II -- this is very near to my house -- he asked Mr Singh to drop him out. As he disappeared, a big shining star with rainbow colours rose up to heaven. All the neighbours and my children saw it, and they have no doubt that Jesus had come to Kawangware. This star can be seen during Mary’s healing sessions at Kawangware. Since that time I have changed. I am not attached to my husband any more. So help comes from everywhere. My faith is strengthened, I know Jesus is looking after me and my children.

This report was obtained by Memo Neupert, when she visited Mary Akatsa in her home village, and was originally published in the July 1994 issue of Share International.





A "Letter to the editor" from Share International

Dear Editors,

During a recent visit to North Carolina, I was interviewed on a television program taped at St Augustine’s College in Raleigh. During the interview I spoke about Maitreya’s appearance in Kenya in 1988, and showed one of the photos taken there.

After the program ended, I made my way to the control booth to review the videotape. A young student, Tim Mwadime, introduced himself. “I was there”, he said, “in Nairobi. I know this story. I am from Nairobi, Kenya.” I felt shivers up and down my spine. Goose bumps covered my skin. Tim’s story went like this:
He had grown up in Kenya, and before coming to the US was employed at a television/radio production studio in Nairobi. He had a friend at the studio whom I’ll call Samuel. (I failed to ask his friend’s name.) Samuel was, as Tim described it, “a very worldly person; he wasn’t spiritual, he smoked and drank, he did not know God.” One day, out of curiosity, Samuel decided to visit one of Mary Akatsa’s meetings. He had heard things and wanted to see for himself what was going on. According to Tim, Mary Akatsa was widely known for her preaching and prayers that had helped many people. (One interesting side note: Mary Akatsa held one of the only religious services where people of different nationalities gathered together. This was in a city where people of the same nationality tended to worship with their own people.)

Samuel ended up going to a number of the meetings. Tim didn’t see Samuel at work for a couple of days, and when Samuel returned, Tim told him: “There’s something different about you.” Samuel related his experiences at one of Mary Akatsa’s meetings. He had moved forward to where Mary Akatsa stood. She began praying for him. Suddenly, something came over him. He felt different; he felt changed. Subsequent days saw Samuel’s life take a new direction. He was friendlier. He no longer smoked or drank. To Tim, it seemed as if Samuel’s very nature had been transformed.

After the next gathering, Samuel told Tim of a most miraculous event. Mary Akatsa announced during the meeting that the Christ was coming, a Great One was coming. No one there actually expected Christ to appear at that meeting, but all of a sudden from out of nowhere, there he was -- “Jesus Christ”. Samuel told Tim that Christ had moved through the crowd to the place where Mary Akatsa was speaking. “Everyone was shaken,” he said. I asked Tim what Christ had done. “He prayed, blessed some people and spoke with them for a while.” Tim couldn’t remember the exact words Christ had used.

Tim went on to tell me of how the local papers carried the story the next day. He said people couldn’t believe it had happened. Nairobi was abuzz with talk. “It was a miracle,” Tim said, his voice growing with excitement, “a sign.” Tim regretted that he had not gone with Samuel that day.
One last thing Tim told me, as well as he could recall: before leaving, Christ had said he would bring blessings raining down. That evening in Nairobi, unexpectedly, it rained.

McNair Ezzard, Denver, Colorado, USA( published in the December 1992 issue )



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