Thieves Break into 3 Churches, Steal Ksh1 Million in Goods and Cash in Kirinyaga

Churches in Kirinyaga County are counting heavy losses after thieves broke into three churches and stole property worth more than KSh 1 million.

The churches affected are St. Joseph Catholic Church, an ACK church in Kiamangunyi, and Fountain of Life Church.

According to leaders from the churches, the incident happened on the night of Saturday, May 2. The thieves are said to have forced their way in through windows before entering different rooms inside the churches.

One church member said they were shocked after discovering that valuable musical equipment worth over KSh 500,000 had been stolen.

Another member explained that they were alerted by a neighbour who noticed some items dumped on his farm. When they went to check, they confirmed the items belonged to the church, raising suspicion that the church had been broken into.

Among the items stolen were microphones, a keyboard, and a sound system receiver.

In a shocking turn of events, the thieves also drank the Holy Sacrament and took some cash that was inside the churches.

Church leaders said the criminals seemed to move freely within the compounds, which has raised serious concerns about security in the area.

They are now calling on authorities to increase patrols and improve security to prevent such incidents from happening again.

Cases of churches being targeted by thieves have been increasing in the country, as criminals take advantage of the low security and lack of resistance.

In a similar incident in August 2025, Nyaguku Catholic Church in Nyamira County was broken into and equipment, including musical instruments, was stolen.

Another case happened in July 2019 in Nyahururu, where a thief wrote an emotional letter to a PEFA church after a failed robbery attempt. He claimed that he had been tipped off by a church member about money that had been left in the church.