EXCLUSIVE: Pastor Ng’ang’a shuts down hotel business citing moral, financial concerns
Neno Evangelist Pastor James Ng’ang’a, best known for his charismatic preaching and controversial statements, has discouraged Christians from engaging in the hotel business as a source of income.
Pastor Ng’ang’a owns the well-known Newstead Hotel (formerly Sunny Hill Hotel) situated along the Nakuru-Nairobi road.
Ng’ang’a revealed he decided to shut down his hotel business due to activities that contradicted his religious teachings.
He said he discovered that his hotel staff were involved in selling condoms and renting rooms to individuals seeking extramarital affairs, which he deemed as “devilish” and against his principles.
He said he had been incurring consistent losses.
“I closed the hotel because the business that was going on there was against my preaching. That money is devilish. There is no profit since people who used to come there, some of them were married people who had ‘mpango wa Kandos’ and only wanted a quickie. Ni usherati tupu,” he stated.
Pastor Ng’ang’a went on to express regret about venturing into the hotel business, claiming that it had not yielded any profits over the past decade.
He urged fellow pastors to reconsider running hotels and suggested that if they own such establishments, they should lease them out to others rather than actively manage them.
According to him, such ventures can lead individuals astray from their religious beliefs.
“I would not advise pastors to open hotels. As a pastor, if you can build and rent it out then that is fine but it should not be you who is running it. The devil is using you through such a project,” he said.
He said his hotel was neither selling alcohol nor offering Mugiithi. However, this niche market strategy seemed to have contributed to its lack of profitability.
Earlier this year, in April, Pastor Ng’ang’a announced his intention to sell the hotel for Ksh 800 million, negotiable, as he sought funds to expand his ministry in the United States.
However, the controversial figure mentioned that he could not secure a buyer willing to meet his asking price, prompting him to reconsider.
“I had offers from buyers who wanted to acquire it for less than the desired amount, and I decided not to sell it,” he revealed.
As a result, he has opted to lease the property instead.
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