Deya back in the headlines with cancer, HIV ‘miracle’

A Pastor from Deya Ministries is said to have sold a Sh290 bottle of olive oil at Sh730 to two undercover reporters from The Sun touting it as a miracle cure/DAILY MAIL

According to UK’s Daily Mail, Deya’s Ministry is under investigation by the UK Charities Commission for inflating the cost of store bought olive oil and selling it as a miracle cure for HIV and cancer.

A Pastor from Deya Ministries is said to have sold a Sh290 bottle of olive oil at Sh730 to two undercover reporters from The Sun touting it as a miracle cure.

“Pastor Kamara allegedly gave an undercover couple a badly-spelled leaflet including details of ‘mystical powers’ contained including overcoming illness and debt,” the Daily Mail reports.

“Deya claims to have ‘anointed’ the oil – and Pastor Kamara explained: ‘Don’t use any oil except this and the cancer will just disappear.’ The couple went into a room where a pastor rubbed the oil into the woman’s chest, declaring it was the ‘start of your miracle’. She was then pushed to the ground and the ‘witchcraft’ (sic) was told to leave.”

Reached for comment, Deya is quoted as saying that he does not talk to “evil liars who are confused.”

He is currently fighting extradition to Kenya where he is wanted for the suspected theft of five babies from the Pumwani Maternity Hospital as part of his miracle babies scam.

His wife Mary Deya was tried and convicted for baby theft in 2007 and Deya has been fighting extradition for child trafficking since.

He claims he will undergo inhumane, degrading treatment if sent back home.

Claims of miracle working olive oil are not strange in Kenya where evangelists sell as little as 100ml for as much as Sh1,000.

So prevalent is the practice that it’s even had Deputy President William Ruto weigh-in.

READ: DP tells ‘seed’ pastors to register with Kenya Seed Company

The latest accusations against Deya come at a time when churches have come out against regulations intended to protect the vulnerable from falling prey to such scams as a substitute for professional medical treatment.

About The Author

OLIVE BURROWS

With a decade of storytelling under her belt, Olive Burrows has been with Capital FM for the last four years and perhaps most notably interviewed US President Barack Obama. Committed to asking the hard questions and telling the story in the most engaging way possible, she has also interviewed Melinda Gates, a UK Minister and severally had the opportunity to sit across from President Uhuru Kenyatta and address the pressing issues of the day. Other notables she has had occasion to seek answers from are UN Secretary General António Guterres and John Kerry in his time as US Secretary of State.

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