Busia Thieves Steal KSh 150k Musical Instruments, Foodstuffs From Church: "It's Disheartening"

• The ACK St. Philips Korisai parish has been targeted by audacious thieves who plundered property valued at an estimated KSh 150,000
• The perpetrators of this act of theft reportedly exploited a window as their point of entry, breaching the church's sanctity
• Once inside, they ransacked the vicarage, making off with an array of valuable items, including musical instruments and food supplies that had been amassed

Faithful at the ACK St. Philips Korisai parish in Malaba, Teso-North Sub county are in shock after thieves breached the sanctity of their sanctuary and stole property of an estimated value of KSh 150,000.

Foodstuffs among things stolen from church

The incident, which is the second intrusion on the church, sparked concerns in the community, as thieves seem to be targeting musical instruments and electronics within churches and schools

Reverend Gabriel Muzungu told Kenya News Agency (KNA) the criminals gained entry by breaking a window to access the vicarage.

Inside, they made away with valuable electronics and food items that had been collected as part of the Sunday harvest offertory.

“Early this morning I was informed that the vicarage had been broken into by unknown people who made away with items including musical instruments and foodstuffs worth around KSh 150,000,” said Rev. Muzungu.

Reverend Videlis Ekaiti, the parish curate, also lamented the unfortunate turn of events.

Have places of worship become targets for thieves

He expressed his disbelief at how places of worship have become the target for thieves, reflecting a disturbing lack of respect for religious institutions.

“In the last month, four churches have been broken into and over 10 schools have lost laptops and tablets in a similar narrative,” she claimed.

She further appealed to the police to improve night patrols to mitigate cases of insecurity in the region.

The parish chairperson also raised concerns about the rising tide of insecurity within the Teso North sub-county.

She noted that similar incidents have been plaguing the community, emphasising that electronics, especially school tablets, seem to be the prime target for criminals.

Thieves break into Molo church

In a similar story, Congregants of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) in Molo woke up to an unpleasant surprise after daring thieves broke into the church and stole a piano, hymn books and other instruments of worship.

According to one of the congregants who spoke to NTV, the thieves were aiming to steal money raised as offertory from a Women's Guild meeting that took place at the church on Sunday, June 6.

"On Sunday we had a Women's Guild meeting, and they went to the treasurer's office and ransacked it but found no money as it had been banked," said one of the congregants.

They said that the thieves broke into the church premises on the night of Monday, June 5, where they turned things upside down in the hope of finding money.