Controversial pastor Gilbert Deya dies in road accident
Maina said Deya’s car lost control before ramming into the university bus, which was headed to Kisumu
Controversial pastor Gilbert Deya perished in a road accident last evening when his Toyota Noah collided with a Toyota Fortune belonging to the Siaya County Government along the Kisiani-Bondo Road.
Confirming the accident, Nyanza traffic police boss Peter Maina said Deya was the driver of the Noah, which was headed to Bondo from Kisiani.
Maina said Deya’s car lost control before ramming into the university bus, which was headed to Kisumu.
As a result of the collision, school bus driver swerved, rolling off the road as the Siaya County car, which trailing it was hit in the process.
“The deceased, Bishop Gilbert Deya, was driving the Toyota Noah and had two female passengers, believed to be his wife and another woman, who sustained minor injuries,” the traffic police boss said.
The accident left 31 people nursing serious injuries, 15 of whom were students who had serious injuries, while the rest had minor injuries.
“In total, we have 31 people who were affected, one fatality, 15 students with serious injuries, and 15 with minor injuries”, he said.
The body of the deceased pastor was taken to Kombewa Hospital Mortuary, while the injured were also rushed to the same Hospital for treatment as three of the victims were referred to the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital for further medical attention.
The traffic boss said investigations are on to establish the cause of the accident.
The deceased controversial pastor rose into fame in the 1990s and early 2000 through his miracle babies claims.
He led the Gilbert Deya Ministries, a church that claimed infertile women could conceive through prayer and divine intervention.
His ministry, based in the UK at the height of its fame, faced serious legal challenges after investigations linked him to a child trafficking ring.
He was accused of stealing children from hospitals and poor families in Kenya and presenting them to desperate couples as miracle babies.
He was extradited from the United Kingdom to Kenya in 2017 after a lengthy legal battle and was charged with multiple counts related to child theft.
Though he denied all charges, the cases became a significant legal and ethical controversy, raising questions about religious exploitation and accountability.
At the time of his death, Deya had largely stepped away from the public spotlight but remained a polarising figure within religious and legal circles.
