A self-proclaimed preacher, Gilbert Deya, who had been accused of abducting five children, has been acquitted by a court in Kenya.
Prosecutors had alleged that Deya used the children to support his claim of being able to assist infertile couples in conceiving babies through prayer.
However, the magistrate ruled that the prosecution had not presented sufficient evidence to support the charges.
Deya had resided in the United Kingdom for many years, where he established several Pentecostal churches. Following a lengthy legal battle, he was extradited to Kenya in 2017 to face the charges.
Notably, over a decade ago, Deya’s former wife, Mary Deya, was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison for stealing a baby from a Nairobi hospital and falsely claiming to have given birth to the child.
More than a decade ago his then-wife Mary Deya was given a three-year sentence for stealing a baby from a Nairobi hospital and pretending she had given birth to the child.