Woman in court over ‘fake’ church registration – VIDEO
A church official who allegedly colluded with a pastor to forge a church registration certificate was charged with conspiracy to commit a felony.
Irene Ayoo Otieno is accused of conspiring with another suspect before court to make a church registration certificate purporting it to be a genuine certificate issued to Apostles of Christ Church without a lawful authority.
The said certificate was purported to have been made and issued by the registrar of societies.
Ms. Otieno is accused of colluding with Pastor James Mutai Omukholo who has been charged with making a document without authority.
They allegedly made the certificate dated August 13, 2020 at a time the state had frozen registration of new churches in the country.
The freeze started in 2014 and the documents bear the signature of an official who has since left the department.
The matter was discovered by an official at the attorney general’s office’s registrar of societies department who received a letter from a pastor requesting for issuance of a Kenya Revenue Authority Pin last year.
The official noticed inconsistencies in the letter and reported the matter to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations which probed the matter and arrested Omukholo and charged him before Ms Otieno was also traced and arrested.
The two were opening a branch of an international church’s branch locally.
Ms Otieno denied the charges before senior principal magistrate Philip Mutua of Kibera law courts.
She was released on a bond of Sh100, 000 and an alternative cash bail of Sh20, 000.
The case will be mentioned on March 23 for consolidation with the one against Omukholo who is out on similar terms.