DNK International By Sandra Mulomi,Nairobi.
Samuel Ngacha Njiriri of the Stewards Revival Pentecostal Church of Kenya (SRPCK) has called for urgent investigations into how a Russian national who allegedly sexually abused several Kenyan women managed to enter the country and operate freely.
Bishop Njiriri, who also doubles as chairman of the Federation of Evangelical and Indigenous Christian Churches of Kenya, wants the government to explain to citizens how the foreigner was cleared to enter Kenya and even secured opportunities to work while reportedly having a questionable background.
“The Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja must direct thorough investigations into the circumstances under which the Russian was allowed into the country despite allegedly having been involved in similar cases in Ghana,” Bishop Njiriri told Daily News Kenya-International.
The bishop said it would not be surprising if investigations revealed that the foreign suspect bribed officials to gain entry or move freely in and out of the country without scrutiny.
“We are aware that some immigration officers can be swayed by money to allow questionable individuals into this country.
We need to know whether the Russian came in as an investor, businessman, tourist, or visitor, and exactly how he was cleared,” Bishop Njiriri stated, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability.
The cleric spoke on the same day that Gender Cabinet Secretary Hannah Cheptumo disclosed that relevant state agencies were considering seeking assistance from international partners to ensure the suspect faces justice.
The Russian, identified only as Yaytseslav, is alleged to have lured several Kenyan women into sexual encounters while secretly recording intimate moments before distributing the videos online without their consent, causing outrage and concern among rights groups and members of the public.
His actions reportedly came to light recently after he released a series of explicit recordings featuring women from Ghana, prompting investigators and online users to dig deeper into his activities across multiple countries.
Authorities later discovered that Yaytseslav is suspected of sharing videos involving women from Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, and several other African nations, raising fears that the acts could be part of a wider and more coordinated exploitation network operating across borders.
“The government of Kenya is coordinating a whole-of-government response. Relevant security, investigative, and prosecutorial agencies have been directed to pursue the matter with urgency, including collaboration with international authorities given the cross-border nature of the case,” Cheptumo said in an official statement.
“Any individual found culpable will face the full force of Kenyan law under the Penal Code, the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, and all relevant statutes designed to protect women and children,” the Cabinet Secretary assured, stressing that justice would be pursued relentlessly.
Reacting strongly to the incident, Bishop Njiriri said the fact that the women may have agreed to sexual encounters did not in any way imply consent to have their images or videos exposed publicly across digital platforms.
“We can debate ethics, morality, and safety, but those debates must never erase the fundamental principle of consent.
Consent to sex is not consent to filming, and consent to filming is not consent to publication,” he said firmly.
While condemning Yaytseslav as “an agent of the devil,” the bishop urged authorities to reassure Kenyan women that adequate protections exist to shield them from predators who exploit technology and cross border mobility to target victims.
He further questioned whether it might be coincidental that the Russian scandal surfaced at a time when hundreds of Kenyan families are grieving or anxiously searching for answers about relatives reportedly duped into joining the Russia-Ukraine conflict, where some have died and others have been injured.
“Could some mischievous individuals be using foreign criminal networks to traffic Kenyans for both sexual and labour exploitation? Is there any connection between those recruited to fight abroad and this disturbing case of sexual exploitation?” he posed, calling for comprehensive investigations into possible links.
The cleric also urged the government to crack down on agencies allegedly involved in illegal recruitment of Kenyans for foreign combat roles, warning that failure to act decisively could expose more citizens to danger and exploitation.
At the same time, Bishop Njiriri cautioned politicians across the country to tone down early political campaigns, noting that the next general election is still some time away and premature campaigning could distract leaders from delivering development.
According to him, early campaign activities risk disrupting national progress, heightening political tensions, and diverting attention from urgent socio-economic issues affecting ordinary citizens.
He advised leaders to focus on serving the electorate diligently for now and to wait until the appropriate campaign period next year before launching political activities, stressing that responsible leadership requires discipline, patience, and commitment to public service.
[DNK-International@February 17,2026]
