Police Must Produce The Real Jesus- Atheists On Yesu Wa Tongaren Arrest
AIKS president Harrison Mumia called for the release of the spiritual leader of the New Jerusalem sect in Bungoma
Marvin Chege 
The Atheists In Kenya Society (AIKS) on Friday, May 12 urged the government to release Eliud Wekesa, popularly known as Yesu wa Tongaren, from police custody with immediate effect.
In a statement, AIKS president Harrison Mumia called for the release of the spiritual leader of the New Jerusalem sect in Bungoma even after he was detained for four more days pending a mental assessment test.
Mumia further dared that the police should produce the real Jesus Christ to prove Wekesa's innocence, claiming that the Jesus Christ represented in the Bible is a work of fiction and that Wekesa was not the leader of any cult movement.
Atheists in Kenya Society (AIKS) president, Harrison Mumia. /THE STAR
"We demand for the immediate release of Jesus of Tongeren. The police must produce the real Jesus if their claim is that this man is not the real Jesus Christ, Son of Yahweh!
"Our position is that Biblical "Jesus" is a fictional character, a construct created by the religions of Christendom. He never existed. Jesus of Tongeren exists, and as far as we are concerned, does not lead a cult," Mumia stated.
AIKS further accused the police of being overzealous by arresting Yesu wa Tongaren, who had voluntarily presented himself to the police on Wednesday, May 10 following a summons for questioning over his teachings and religious activities, only to be arraigned in a Bungoma court the following day.
The court had extended Wekesa's detention by four more days pending the conclusion of ongoing investigations by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
In line with the orders that include a mental assessment on him, Yesu wa Tongaren was kept in custody at Bungoma Police Station as the officers conducted a search of his residence in Tongaren.
The police had petitioned the court to grant them seven days to conclude their investigations into his religious activities.
Principal Magistrate Olando ordered that Yesu wa Tongaren be produced in court on Tuesday, May 16 whereby he will issue further orders.
The Directorate of Public Prosecution had claimed that Yesu wa Tongaren's New Jerusalem Church was not duly registered as per the Law.
At Bungoma Law Courts, the preacher had a change of heart with regard to hiring a lawyer to defend his case, having previously been tight-lipped on whether or not he would hire a lawyer to defend him against legal attacks owing to his religious beliefs.
He brought in Lawyer Simiyu Wamalwa, who told the court that the Preacher had been operating the shrine for more than 12 years, claiming that “The DCI is using the Shakahola incident to infringe on the rights of Wekesa, let them allow him to enjoy his freedom of worship as provided in the Constitution."
"The police are supposed to arrest someone if they have enough evidence to arrest him. It is becoming a bad culture, police are arresting people without any evidence only to ask for more time from the court to solicit evidence," he told the court.
