African evangelicals, some who prophesied Trump’s victory, are deeply divided

Pastor Edward Munene of the International Christian Centre in Mombasa warns that many of the evangelicals who supported Trump and prophesied of his reelection were not talking from a position of hearing from God but just because they believed Trump was God’s chosen one. Photo from Munene’s YouTube channel.

NAIROBI—Rev. Kathy Kageni-Oganga is convinced that the U.S. presidential elections were rigged in favor of President-Elect Joe Biden. She alleges, without evidence, that a prominent Kenyan politician, who she does not name, was deeply involved with former President Barack Obama in a conspiracy to deny Donald Trump a second term in office.

“I remember one day when I was praying over the elections and I clearly heard the voice of God saying ‘rigging’ and I was then shown the intrigues that went on in the polls,” Kageni-Oganga, who heads the Nairobi-based Sozo Church of God, told Religion Unplugged a week before Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States and after a crowd of Trump supporters violently sieged the Capitol, resulting in five deaths. Some carried Christian flags and even the Confederate flag, seen in the U.S. as a symbol for white supremacy.

Read: Biden Certified President After Mob Carrying Christian Symbols Storm Capitol

Kageni-Oganga’s stand is the standard fare served in many evangelical Pentecostal churches in Kenya. Just like their American counterparts, many Kenyan and African Pentecostals are convinced that Trump won the election and that he was rigged in a major conspiracy that brought together the Deep State, anti-Christians, Democrats, Big Tech, pharmaceutical lobbies and a host of other dark forces opposed to God’s Kingdom. There is no widespread evidence of election fraud in the U.S. 

Some of Trump’s supporters in Africa are still hopeful that God can pull a miracle and stop Biden’s inauguration Jan. 20. Susan Gichuhi, an online marketer, believes it’s not over ‘til it’s over for Trump.

“God being God, can still have His will prevail and Biden ends up not being sworn in. I can never underestimate God’s sovereignty,” she said. 

But there are those in the same denominations who question the wisdom of such a pro-Trump stand even after the competent electoral bodies ruled that Biden was the winner of the elections.

Read: 'We Must All Repent': Pastors Address Their Flocks After Capitol Siege

Nigerian Christian journalist Sunday Oguntola finds the African support for Trump funny, annoying even.

“Africans are blindly religious. It is a shame we throw away our reasoning when it comes to religion,” he told Religion Unplugged, adding that the pro-Trump brigade in Nigeria was not remorseful even after falsely prophesying that their man was going to win. “They are insistent Biden won't be inaugurated.”

Oguntola has been consistent in his opposition to Trump, especially since the outgoing president has projected himself as the Christians’ candidate, a stand that has won the Nigerian journalist praise and condemnation in equal measure.

“When I said Trump is not a Christian, let alone an exemplary one, some of his religious followers in Nigeria called me names,” Oguntola said in a Facebook post.

He continued:

 “The sacrilege committed by Trump’s supporters on Capitol Hill Jan. 6 has proven he is nothing but a power monger, who will use anything, including tribal and religious sentiments to win. 

How many Nigerians in the Christian community considered him a Christian candidate has left me wondering whether they are simply naive or mischievous. 

They labelled everyone who opposed Trump as an anti-Christ. They threatened America will lose its Christian heritage. Such fear-induced campaigns won't take anyone anywhere.

Trump is everything a human being should not be. Jesus, who we all know too well, cannot be the Lord in Trump's life and he will do half of what he did without open repentance. 

I hope all religious politicians can see the harm they cause the world. Let's be sure politicians are always politicians regardless of the faith they profess.” 

Nickson Orieny, a prominent pastor in Kenya, disagrees. The head of The Temple of God Ministries is adamant that Biden's election was a fraud and that there were powerful and wealthy individuals pushing him into office at all cost without caring about America's future.

He says that many Kenyan evangelicals are just following the crowds and had no idea why they were supporting President Trump.

“President Trump is one president that has supported Blacks more than any other,” Orieny told Religion Unplugged. He said there is “much media propaganda discrediting each and every move [Trump] has ever made...ever since he got declared the winner against Hilary Clinton.”

On the other hand, Pastor Edward Munene of the International Christian Centre in Mombasa warns that many of the evangelicals who supported Trump and prophesied of his reelection were not talking from a position of hearing from God but just because they believed Trump was God’s chosen one. 

“When you pray after taking a position, you are less likely to hear clearly from God and in fact you are likely to bind as evil spirit any thought contrary to your own. Christians should pray from a position of neutrality,” he told Religion Unplugged.

Read: Charismatics Are At War With Each Other Over Failed Prophecies Of Trump Victory

Just before the elections, Munene caused a furore when he publicly said that God had told him He had rejected Trump.

“I just woke up in the middle of the night. It's 2:50am in Kenya,” he said. “I started praying for the U.S. and God said to me, ‘Donald Trump won't be president. He was My choice but I rejected him, for the church failed to disciple him in My ways, and he ended up not doing what I wanted.”

Tom Osanjo is a Nairobi-based correspondent for Religion Unplugged. He is a former parliamentary reporter and has covered sports, politics and more for Kenya’s Daily Nation newspaper.