Kenyan police arrest South Sudan’s top religious leader in Kakuma

October 20th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – A South Sudanese high-profile religious leader, Reverend Moderator Peter Gai Lual Marrow, Chairman of the South Sudan Council of Churches and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan has been arrested in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp while on church-related missions.

Rev. Peter was arrested on Saturday by Kenyan police at a public guest house in Kakuma town along with 7 other church members who were coming to welcome him upon his arrival from the Republic of South Sudan.

Speaking to Nyamilepedia on Sunday, one of the religious leaders confirmed that Pastor Peter had been accused by an unknown group of people of having links with South Sudan’s Government and that his mission to Kakuma related to politics and has nothing to do with preaching God’s words to refugees in the camp.

“He has been accused of being an agent of South Sudan’s Government,” said a religious leader who asked not to be named. “You cannot arrest someone whose mission is to spread God’s messages, this is obviously a gross violation of religious rights,” he added.

Rev Peter Gai was one of the religious delegations that accompanied South Sudanese leaders to Rome during a Spiritual Retreat held at the Vatican.

Several sources interviewed by Nyamilepedia revealed that the Kenyan Police, on instructions from the Refugee Affairs Secretariat-RAS, had prevented Peter from entering the refugee camp.