Speaking from nearly two decades of clinical experience, Dr Lukoye Atwoli recounted how faith healing claims associated with the Ministry of Repentance and Holiness crusades have repeatedly disrupted continuity of care for patients with severe and chronic illnesses.
In a detailed account, the psychiatrist narrated the case of a woman diagnosed with breast cancer in Eldoret about 20 years ago.
After initial anxiety, she accepted treatment, responded well, and showed steady progress over several months.
That trajectory changed abruptly after the end-year period.
According to Dr Atwoli, the patient stopped treatment over the holidays after attending a crusade led by Dr Owuor at Eldoret Sports Club, where she believed she had been miraculously healed.
Despite extensive medical counselling on the risks of abandoning care, she declined further treatment and discharged herself against medical advice.
Sadly, Dr Atwoli said, she returned to hospital six months later in critical condition, with advanced disease, severe physical weakness, and cognitive impairment. She died a few days later.
“At her funeral everyone praised the prophet for curing her cancer, and cursed the devil for giving her a new affliction with wounds on her chest that caused her death,” Dr W’Atwoli recalls adding that the case was not isolated.
Each December, hospitals in regions hosting the crusades would record a similar pattern.
The psychiatrist explains that when the crusades later shifted from Eldoret to Nakuru, clinicians in Eldoret observed a temporary reduction in relapses and preventable deaths.
However, the problem soon spread nationally as the events moved across the country.
In a Facebook post, Dr W’Atwoli stressed that his concern was not about personal faith, but public health outcomes.
He said medical professionals have a duty to provide clear, evidence-based information so patients can make informed decisions, particularly when stopping treatment carries life-threatening risks.
“While I am not responsible for what you do with your own health, it is my responsibility to equip you with as much information as you need to make an informed choice.
Especially if I have a role in public health or in your personal care,” he stated while acknowledging individual autonomy in health choices.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) has since issued a caution warning that unverified healing claims by health professionals risk misleading vulnerable patients, undermining evidence-based care and public trust.
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