Two broadcast journalists report credible threats following investigative documentary that revealed illegal gambling operations disguised as religious programming
Two Nation Media Group journalists are living in fear after receiving death threats linked to their explosive investigative report that exposed how religious broadcasters were operating illegal gambling schemes under the guise of faith-based programming.
Ibrahim Karanja and Fred Muitiriri, both seasoned broadcast journalists with NTV, have formally requested police protection following what their employer describes as “credible threats” to their safety.
The threats emerged just days after their hard-hitting documentary “Sacred Swindle” aired on May 25, exposing a network of religious broadcasters allegedly defrauding Kenyans through rigged gambling operations.
The investigation, which also aired in Kiswahili as “Madhabahu Ya Kamari,” specifically implicated Prophet David Maina’s Yahweh’s Evangelistic Revival Ministries and its media arm, Yahweh’s Media Services Limited, along with several affiliate stations.
“They have separately received credible information to the effect that they have received threats or noticed actions in their environment which make them apprehensive that some persons may be planning to cause harm to them,” reads a formal complaint letter addressed to Nairobi Regional Police Commander George Seda.
The intimidation campaign appears sophisticated and persistent.
According to NMG’s Head of Legal, Sekou Owino, both journalists have been receiving mysterious phone calls on their private cell phone numbers, with callers remaining silent when the calls are answered – a classic intimidation tactic designed to create psychological pressure.
“This information is compounded by the fact that each of the said reporters has received several phone calls to their private cell phone numbers but whose callers simply remained silent upon receipt of the calls,” Owino stated in the police complaint.
The threats have created a climate of fear for the journalists, who now believe individuals exposed in their investigation may be planning to harm them.
Both reporters have expressed their willingness to cooperate fully with police investigations, offering to provide statements and any additional evidence that could help identify those behind the intimidation campaign.
The documentary’s impact was immediate and far-reaching. M
Within hours of broadcast, the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) acknowledged the gravity of the revelations and took swift regulatory action. The authority invoked Section 83A of the Kenya Information and Communications Act, 1998, imposing fines of Sh500,000 on each non-compliant broadcaster and issuing a 12-hour ultimatum to cease all unlawful broadcasts.
The investigation revealed how religious platforms were being exploited to promote unlicensed gambling operations, with viewers being deceived into believing they were participating in legitimate faith-based activities. The scheme represents a particularly cynical form of fraud, preying on the religious faith of vulnerable Kenyans while operating outside the legal framework governing gambling in the country.
This case highlights the growing risks faced by investigative journalists in Kenya, particularly those whose work exposes powerful interests. The targeting of Karanja and Muitiriri underscores the dangerous intersection between organized fraud, religious manipulation, and media intimidation.
The Kenya Union of Journalists has previously documented increasing threats against media personnel, with investigative journalists facing particular risks when their reporting threatens established networks of corruption or fraud.
A devastating investigation reveals how a religious broadcaster has turned faith into a weapon of financial exploitation, preying on Kenya’s most vulnerable citizens while regulators watch
In the heart of Nairobi’s bustling K-Mall, just off Kangundo Road, sits what may be Kenya’s most brazen religious fraud operation.
Behind the facade of Yahweh’s Media Services Limited, “Prophet” David Maina also known by aliases Karuru and Kagechu has orchestrated what investigators are calling one of the most audacious scams ever witnessed in Kenya’s media landscape.
Operating through multiple television stations including Jawabu Television, Madhabahu TV, Yahweh’s TV, and Shahada TV, Maina’s empire has perfected the art of blending gospel with gambling, turning desperate faith into cold cash through an elaborate con game that has already cost Kenyan families millions of shillings.
The sacred swindle exposed
The scheme is as simple as it is devastating.
Religious programming is strategically interrupted by masked presenters who invite viewers to “win blessings” by sending small mobile money transfers—typically between Sh10 and Sh50.
What appears to be divine intervention is actually a meticulously orchestrated fraud where no viewer ever wins.
“Nobody wins. It’s just a scam. We manufacture fake winners, and the real money is withdrawn immediately,” revealed a whistleblower from within Maina’s operation, speaking to NTV.
Secret recordings obtained during this investigation expose the chilling callousness of the perpetrators. In one recording, a presenter openly mocks victims, laughing as he declares “wizi ninakufunza” (I’m teaching you theft).
Another boasts about “the hours we make money,” revealing their full awareness of the suffering they inflict.
Victims trapped in endless cycles of hope and loss
The human cost of this religious fraud is staggering. Ruth Wanjiku, an elderly woman from Kikuyu, became ensnared after being promised she could turn Sh10 into Sh10,000. Within an hour, she had lost over Sh6,000.
“They called my name out and told me to send more to win. I kept playing. I was the only one playing,” Wanjiku recalled, her voice heavy with the weight of betrayal.
Her story echoes across Kenya. Joseph Ng’ang’a, a widower, gambled away his children’s school fees after being lured by promises of winning Sh40,000.
“I just wanted to win but I ended up with nothing,” he said, his children’s education now hanging in the balance.
The scheme deliberately targets Kenya’s most vulnerable populations—the sick, the poor, the desperate.
Presenters use carefully crafted emotional manipulation, with lines like “If you have a sick child, just send Sh50 and you will win Sh50,000” designed to exploit parental desperation and medical emergencies.
The prophet’s millions
Secret recordings reveal Maina himself coaching staff on how to maximize extraction while avoiding detection.
In one particularly damning audio, he boasts about making Sh1.1 million in a single day from viewers’ bets, adding that December operations were generating Sh600,000 daily.
The recordings capture Maina in prayer, incredibly committing the theft to God: “Nikiwaangalia you are still young. Mungu awapee nguvu, awaongoze maarifa” (Looking at you, you are still young. May God give you strength and add you knowledge), before detailing how anyone can execute the scam successfully.
Mobile money transaction logs reviewed during this investigation reveal hundreds of small transactions flowing into the operation’s accounts, with not a single payout to any genuine winner.
The amounts—Sh50 here, Sh100 there—appear insignificant individually but collectively represent tens of millions in stolen funds.
Regulatory failure and continued impunity
Despite mounting evidence, regulatory bodies have failed to act decisively.
The Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) admits Yahweh’s Media Services holds no gambling license and is prohibited from conducting any form of gambling, yet the operation continues.
BCLB boss Peter Mbugi acknowledged the challenge: “The issue is that they transform themselves into different things. Some are saying you have a pay bill for prayers… That now is not gambling.”
This regulatory game of cat and mouse has emboldened the perpetrators.
When authorities ordered a 30-day halt to all TV gambling in April, Yahweh’s Media Services simply pivoted, claiming to offer “lending services” instead of games of chance—a classic bait-and-switch designed to stay ahead of enforcement.
Celebrity endorsement and legitimacy
The scheme’s credibility receives an unwitting boost from gospel singer Ben Githae, who hosts “Ben Githae Live” across these stations every Sunday.
Githae, the musical voice behind President Uhuru Kenyatta’s 2017 re-election campaign, brings viewers who stay for sermons and fall victim to subsequent scams.
Ben Githae.
While Githae claims to be “just an employee” with no knowledge of the fraudulent operations, his continued presence lends dangerous legitimacy to the toxic enterprise.
The prophet’s political connections
Most brazenly, Maina has attempted to leverage political connections to shield his operation.
A leaked draft letter addressed to President William Ruto requests a presidential waiver on a Sh19 million debt owed to Signet, Kenya’s public broadcast signal distributor.
The letter, cloaked in charity language, claims the operation employs 150 youth and rehabilitates street children, with Maina pleading that “we only wish to continue doing good.”
The reality is far different—the only thing spreading is sophisticated financial fraud.
The shame of victims
For many victims, the shame runs as deep as the financial loss.
“I never thought I would fall for such a thing, but they made it sound so real. They used my name. They knew my struggle,” said Ruth Wanjiku. “I only have God, only God will fight for me.”
This shame often prevents victims from reporting the crimes, allowing the operation to continue targeting new marks with impunity.
A system designed to exploit faith
What makes this scam particularly insidious is its exploitation of religious faith during times of personal crisis.
In a country grappling with high unemployment, rising inflation, and economic desperation, messages promising divine financial intervention find fertile ground among the desperate.
The operation specifically targets viewers with limited access to streaming platforms, hooking them with dubbed action movies before inserting gambling breaks promising fast money. The strategy is coldly calculated to prey on society’s most vulnerable members.
Whistleblowers speak out
Current and former employees, motivated by guilt and conscience, have begun speaking out.
“What if my mother in the village fell for this? Wouldn’t I want someone to stop it?” asked one whistleblower.
Their revelations confirm that employees are sometimes used as fake winners during live broadcasts, and that the company has no intention of awarding real prizes to genuine participants.
The prophet’s silence
When confronted with evidence of the fraud, Maina declined interview requests and issued legal threats instead.
After initially questioning the media’s right to investigate “another media house licensed by the CA,” he later threatened: “You will get a response from my lawyer regarding your letter.”
In a telling display of guilt, Maina deleted his text messages after acknowledging receipt of questions about his operation, leaving only a one-sided conversation trail.
The continuing crisis
As this investigation concludes, the sacred swindle continues unabated.
The Communications Authority of Kenya has been provided with names of offending stations but has yet to confirm formal action.
This regulatory inertia continues to embolden perpetrators while new victims fall prey daily.
The gospel, meant to edify and uplift, has been weaponized into a sophisticated theft operation that preys on faith, exploits desperation, and steals from those who can least afford it.
Until Kenya’s authorities act decisively, this holy theft will continue—one mobile money transfer at a time.
The investigation reveals that in Kenya’s booming digital TV landscape, where over 359 stations broadcast daily with a quarter being religious-based, the sacred has been profaned for profit, and the most vulnerable continue to pay the price.
