Widow of ‘Miracle Babies’ preacher Gilbert Deya found dead in Bondo home

Mary Juma Deya, the widow of controversial Kenyan preacher Gilbert Deya./FILE

The widow of controversial Kenyan preacher Gilbert Deya is dead.

Mary Juma Deya was lifeless inside her home in Bondo, Siaya County.

Mary, in her late 70s, was discovered inside her house after relatives and neighbours broke into the residence when she failed to respond to calls and knocks on the door.

According to Bondo OCPD Robert Aboki, the incident was reported on Sunday evening after a relative went to check on her.

“Yesterday at around 4.45 pm, Eric Orido went to see Mary Deya. The door was locked from inside, and when he knocked, there was no response," Aboki said.

The relative called neighbours for help, and they broke one of the window panes to check inside the house, where they saw Deya lying motionless. They later reported the matter to the police.

“Police, with the assistance of members of the public, broke the front door and found Mary Juma Deya’s lifeless body lying inside the house,” Aboki said.

The officer added that the elderly woman had earlier complained to relatives that she was unwell. Some medication was found in the house, while the bedding was reportedly stained with vomit and traces of blood.

Family friend David Orido said they became concerned after learning that Deya had not been seen for two days.

“Yesterday we got a call that Mama Mary had not been seen since Friday. She was not feeling well and had malaria,” he said.

At first, the family thought she had gone to church because some church items are usually kept at her house.

“But when people went to pick the church tools, they found the house locked, and she was not there. When we made calls, we realised she had not even attended church,” Orido added.

The family later went to the house and discovered that the door was locked from the inside.

“She was found lying on the bed dead. The body has been taken to the mortuary and a postmortem will be conducted,” he said, adding that she had a helper who assisted her at home but is always a day scholar.

Her death comes about nine months after the death of her husband, Gilbert Deya, who died in a road accident.

Deya gained international notoriety in the early 2000s over the so-called “miracle babies” saga, in which he claimed infertile couples could conceive through prayer.

Authorities later alleged that the babies were stolen and trafficked from Kenya, leading to years of legal battles.