AFRICA/KENYA - Fake priest discovered

Nairobi (Fides News Agency) – The Diocese of Lodwar, in Kenya’s Rift Valley, west of Lake Turkana, has warned the faithful about a fake priest who for an extended period allegedly pretended to celebrate Mass and administer the sacraments.
The man presented himself as Fr Jones Bogonko Onchonga, M.C., but is in fact a layman who lives in Kisii, is married and has two children. The diocese's statement was accompanied by two photographs of the alleged fake priest, one of which shows him wearing clerical attire.
A statement dated 16 August and signed by John Mbinda and Fr Joseph Ebenyo, respectively Bishop and Chancellor of the Diocese of Lodwar, states that Onchonga “pretended to administer the sacraments (Canon 1379), conducted unauthorized celebrations (Canon 1378), usurped ecclesiastical office (Canon 1381), and falsified ecclesiastical documents (Canon 1391).”
After being questioned by police, Onchonga reportedly confessed to having impersonated a priest for almost two years. He arrived in Lodwar in 2025 carrying documents identifying him as a priest of the Missionaries of Charity (M.C.).
According to police, Onchonga never attended a Catholic seminary and received no formal formation in philosophy or theology. Instead, he taught himself the liturgy and procedures for celebrating religious services by studying books.
Police reportedly found 17 texts on Church doctrine in his possession, which he used to study various subjects, including Church history and the procedures for celebrating worship and administering the sacraments.
He is now facing charges of identity theft under Article 382 of the Penal Code and, if convicted, could face up to three years in prison.
(L.M.) (Fides News Agency, 24/8/2026)

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