By Michael Oriedo
The valiant preachers in many churches may shudder in fear or hesitate when asked to preach to prisoners.
Often described as unrepentant, social misfits and criminals, convicts appeal little to men of the cloth, many who are keen on shepherding the righteous.
However, one man has beaten odds to form a gospel ministry dedicated to prisoners. Peter Mosabi Kihingu runs Good News Jail and Prison Ministry (GNJPM) which ministers in 21 prisons in Kenya.
"We have 93 correctional facilities in the country but Good News has attached a chaplain to just 21," says Kihingu.
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The former prisoner began the ministry in 2001 after preaching in Nairobi streets for some time.
"Good News was born on city streets when I was released from prison in June 1993," he recalls.
Targeting former inmates
Then, he started holding crusades at Machakos Country Bus and drew huge crowds.
"Some people were just curious to see this former prisoner turned preacher, while others genuinely listened to the gospel," he says.
After the crusades, former prisoners would approach him and express a wish to begin new life.
"They touched my heart. Some were my colleagues in prison and were worried that without help they would revert to crime," he says.
Peter Mosabi Kihingu preaches to inmates at Shimo la Tewa Women Prison in Mombasa. |
One day after a crusade, a missionary, Dr Fletcher from the US, approached him and proposed that he forms a prisons ministry. With Fletcher’s help, he launched GNJPM. Among the prisons his team visits are Kamiti Maximum Security Prison, Industrial Area, Ruiru, Machakos, Lang’ata Women’s Prison and Naivasha Maximum Security Prison.
GNJPM collaborates with government chaplains to give hope and reform prisoners.
"We work with resident chaplains because they are in charge of spiritual needs of prisoners. When we visit prisons, they help us assemble inmates and get their audience," says the 52-year-old man. "They also help us to get permits from prison headquarters."
He says preaching to prisoners is not for the fainthearted.
"It is difficult to give hope, for instance, to someone who has been sent to the gallows or jailed for life. How do you convince such a person to change his ways when his future is all gloom?" he poses.
Michael Rurii, a pastor at Industrial Area Prison, concurs with Kihingu.
"Some inmates are bitter because they are innocent yet they were jailed while others harbour revenge motives. When preaching, you must avoid scratching healing wounds," he says.
Sometimes prisoners attend their services and decline to listen to the pastors.
"They think it is impossible for somebody who has never been in jail to understand their anguish. One has to be extremely cautious and empathise with them," says Kihingu.
Kihingu during the interview with CCI. Photo/ Michael Oriedo/ Standard |
Prisons’ ministry
However, not all preachers in GNJPM are former convicts. Of the 21, only five are ex-inmates while the rest come from different churches like the Pentecostal Church Valley Road, which the ministry partners with.
The ministry engages in counselling, corrective preaching, Bible studies and social life integration.
When counselling, Kihingu says, they urge inmates to confess and repent their crimes, though some of them will never own up their mistakes.
In social life integration, the ministry targets inmates who are about to complete jail terms.
"We teach them what to expect when they leave prison and how to cope. Most ex-prisoners find themselves in a crisis. The society treats them with a lot of cynicism. People do not believe they are truly reformed," says Rurii.
As part of the programme his team visits homes of inmates who are about to leave prison to prepare their families.
"Sometimes families accept them while others, still bitter about the crimes committed, warn of dire consequences," he notes.
Besides that, Good News also engages in an outreach programme where they make a follow-up on newly released inmates to see how they are adapting to life outside prisons.
"We encourage them to interact with people and utilise skills like carpentry and masonry which they learn in prison," says Kihingu.
Lois Wambui who preaches at Machakos Women’s Prison says inmates are a special kind of worshippers. Unlike in normal churches where pastors preach to people who have left their homes willingly and later give offerings, inmates attend services as part of prison routine.
"As a pastor you cannot expect any offerings. We give them items they need for example sanitary pads, just to show we care," she says. Kihingu says prison reforms instituted by former Vice President Mr Moody Awori have brightened lives of inmates.
"The changes helped to improve the quality of life in prisons. It is now easier for pastors to take care of inmates’ spiritual needs," he notes.
Future plans
However, he observes that prisons are highly congested.
"You find thousands of inmates at a single facility. You wonder how they fit in the cells. Magistrates should visit prisons to see how crammed they are before jailing petty offenders," he urges.
He says their records show 16,000 former prisoners have reformed and are engaging in meaningful activities. Of these about half are saved. He plans to build a multipurpose centre where former inmates can get assistance and better their skills once released.
"Some reformed criminals ask me to write them recommendation letters or act as a guarantor when they are seeking employment. I do it but still employers don’t trust former criminals. I hope that such a centre would assist ex-convicts," he says.
The father of two is also a pastor at Good News Mission Church in Nairobi’s Donholm Estate.
