Father John Juma Pesa, founder of the Holy Ghost Coptic Church, died on Thursday while receiving treatment at a hospital in Kisumu County. His body was taken to the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary for a postmortem. The cause of death has not been established.
Pesa established the Holy Ghost Coptic Church along the Kisumu-Kakamega Highway in the 1970s after reportedly being banished from the Roman Catholic Church. He gained attention for spiritual healing practices that drew followers seeking help with illnesses and personal issues.
The church faced multiple investigations by police and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. In 2023 officers raided the compound and rescued people held in locked rooms, some of whom were believed to be mentally ill patients brought for spiritual treatment.
In 2020 Pesa stated at a press conference that he had received threatening phone calls after visiting then-Deputy President William Ruto. He denied receiving any money and said the claims were politically motivated.
Supporters continued to describe him as a misunderstood leader despite the controversies surrounding his ministry.
