On October 26, 2024, Mary Sinaida Akatsa, the self-proclaimed prophet of the Jerusalem Church of Christ in Kawangware, was pronounced dead after suffering health complications.
Just a week after her passing, new reports reveal that millions of shillings were discovered inside her residence, stashed in bags.
According to witnesses, including a village elder, Akatsa’s family members, accompanied by a family lawyer, retrieved the money and deposited it in a bank.
Wilberforce, one of the witnesses, described seeing police officers and the lawyer handling the cash, saying, “I saw a first bank, a second, and a third before I got distracted.”
Mary Akatsa, known for her modest lifestyle in Kawangware, is reported to have owned multimillion-shilling properties across Nairobi, Vihiga, and Lugari counties.
Despite her humble residence, Akatsa accumulated significant wealth, reportedly through church registration fees and donations from friends and international supporters.
Akatsa gained nationwide attention in June 1988 when she controversially claimed to have brought Jesus Christ into her church.
Founding her ministry in the early 1980s, her congregation rapidly grew to over 6,000 followers, with branches in Vihiga and Kakamega counties.
Her church, Jerusalem Church of Christ, became a prominent religious institution, drawing members from different regions.
Little is known about her early life or precise age, though she is believed to have been in her late seventies or early eighties.
Originally from Bunyore in Vihiga County, she was married to Mr. Akatsa, who hailed from Kisa in Kakamega County and has since passed away.
