A section of the church leadership in Mombasa has now rolled out divine intervention to 'combat' surging crime in parts of the port county.
Mombasa Pastors Fellowship led by their chair Pastor Zechariah Mwagandi of Glorious River Church, Mombasa, has partnered with the internationally acclaimed Austrian Priest, Johannes Amritzer to host a mega peace festival at approved grounds in Likoni area which has lately become the heartbeat and breeding ground of juvenile gangs in Mombasa.
Amritzer, who is the founder of SOS Adventure, a non-profit evangelistic mission ministry, said he will use his life story as a reformed street boy to convince Mombasa gangs to abandon their ways.
The evangelist was born in Austria to a broken family tainted by drugs and alcohol.
“At the age of four, I moved to Sweden and began living the typical Scandinavian lifestyle. Then at the age of 17 everything changed, and I became a Christian. Immediately, I began preaching the gospel, “ he said.
Addressing the press at the ACK Guest House in Likoni, Pastor Mwagandi said cases of machete-wielding gangs have continued to disrupt peace in Likoni and other parts of Mombasa.
Church leaders to neutralise gangs
In the festival, Mwagandi said they have also involved the security agents who will ensure general security and at the same time socially neutralize the gangs through preaching the gospel.
Besides the gospel, the pastor said they also distribute over 2,000 reusable hygiene kits to needy school girls in the region.
“To tackle the rising insecurity in Mombasa we have decided to use holistic gospel that will change the lives of locals. We want the lives in Mombasa to change for the better,” he explained.
The festival will also involve renowned Gospel artistes from Tanzania such as Rose Muhando and Miriam Lukindo Mauki.
The move comes amidst rising concerns of members of outlawed criminal gangs regrouping to unleash wanton attacks on residents, especially in Likoni.
