By Dennis Lumiti
A mother and her five children have been arrested in Kakamega County for failing to send them to school citing religious beliefs.
Bernadette Khayesi was arrested by the police and Mukhonje sub-location assistant chief Isaac Makomere after she allegedly declined to take her five children aged between five and 15 years to school.
Khayesi said she would not allow her children to attend school because it was against her religious beliefs.
The children agreed with their mother, arguing that attending school would prevent them from going to heaven.
Quoting several verses of the Bible, the eldest said “education of the world” would compromise their pursuit for heavenly glory.
“We will not accept to join school because it will jeopardise our chances of ascending to heaven. Even Jesus never went to school,” he said during interrogation at the assistant chief’s office.
The mother said her church does not allow members to take their children to school and said she would rather be jailed.
The assistant chief said they had received information that none of the children had attended school.
He said the last born, who neighbours had tried to help to join nursery school, was withdrawn immediately.
He said it was interesting that the children speak fluent Kiswahili and even know how to read and quote the Bible yet they had never been to school.
The family members, armed with Bibles, declined to disclose the name of their church.
Makomere said the woman separated from her husband after he declined to join her new faith.
“She parted ways with her husband after he questioned her faith. We believe the lives of these children are in danger because the mother seems to have joined a cult,” the chief said.
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