Pastor denies daughter was involved as youth protest outside Buruburu church over bullying video

By  Kevin Cheruiyot

Correspondent

There was tension outside Nairobi’s Buruburu Redeemed Gospel Church on Sunday as hundreds of young people demonstrated to demand justice for a woman who was filmed being bullied by her colleagues.

In a video that has gone viral on social media, a woman is apparently being assaulted and prevented from leaving a room by four girls.

The incident sparked outrage among Kenyans, with some social media users claiming one of the alleged assailants was a regular at the Buruburu church.

However, Felix Kavoli, the pastor of the church, dismissed speculation that he was the father of one of the girls.

“Tell social media that they are wrong. They are getting it wrong and they are coming to the wrong place. I do not have a daughter at Riara University. My daughters are grown-ups and they are working, and their names are known. I don’t have children at Riara University,” Pastor Kavoli said.

The pastor also told the Gen Z protesters that the alleged bullying incident did not take place at the church and that they should therefore not have caused chaos there.

“It doesn’t concern Reverend Kavoli. It happened out there. Why is the devil against the church?” he posed.

There was a heavy police presence around the church following the demonstration, with anti-riot officers deployed as protesters called for justice for the victim.

“We are here to demand justice for Jahenda (the alleged victim). Why is the church entertaining this?” one of the demonstrators said.

Others called on the church to take action against the alleged assailants.

“Justice for Jahenda. Justice forever. Peace, peace, peace,” another youth said.

On Saturday, Riara University confirmed that some of the individuals depicted in the video are its students and condemned the incident, saying action would be taken.

“We refer to a video that has been shared online depicting several female individuals threatening and assaulting another female individual in what appears to be a public bathroom. Riara University unequivocally condemns violence, intimidation, bullying, harassment or misconduct in any form,” the university’s Vice-Chancellor said in a statement.

The university added that although the alleged incident occurred off campus, the behaviour directly contradicted its institutional values and student code of conduct.

“The university leadership has initiated an internal review of the matter in accordance with our Student Code of Conduct and institutional policies, and we are committed to cooperation with investigative authorities. Riara University remains dedicated to maintaining a safe, respectful and responsible academic community as we have always done,” the statement said.

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