Police barred from arresting flashy ‘pastor’ James Wanjohi in Ksh.600M job scam case

Flashy city pastor-cum-businessman James Wanjohi has been granted an anticipatory bail of Ksh.100,000, with the court barring police from arresting or detaining him in a fraud case.

However, the court noted that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the police are still at liberty to investigate or charge him.

In the case, Wanjohi is alleged to have obtained over Ksh.600 million after defrauding 4,000 Kenyans while promising them Visas to travel abroad.

In documents filed in court through his lawyer Danstan Omari, he has however denied the allegations.

He said that he has not committed any offence in the country and has never been linked to any criminal activity.

"His imminent and unjustified arrest without arrest nor search warrants against him is a clear breach of due process," read court papers.

Police in Nairobi raided Worthstart Africa offices in Pension towers on April 24 after victims recorded statements on how they were allegedly conned lots of money by Wanjohi, who is a director at the company.

Wanjohi, in a video seen by Citizen Digital on Tuesday, scoffed at the accusations arguing that he is a victim of a political witch-hunt instigated by his nemesis.

"I know this is political witch-hunt and business rivalry and I know I have rattled some businessmen and women who feel that they should cut my legs as of now so that I stop progressing," he said.

"I am aware that there are some politicians who are not sleeping because they are scared of me."

Wanjohi further clarified that he is no longer a preacher at the Jesus Culture Ministry, noting that he branched out to start his company which has been operational for barely a year.

He argued that it is not practical to process 4,000 clients since setting up shop adding that his rivals are set out to tarnish his company's reputation

"I ceased being the pastor of Jesus Culture Ministries in 2022 and if the section of the media continues to insist that I am a pastor I would like them to go interview my church members. Let them show the public an interview of my church going on. There is no such church. My work is to build churches as I hand them over," he said.

"I did not process 4,000 clients which is even barely a year my goodness. We will be celebrating our one-year anniversary next month May 17th as a company."