Few religious figures in modern Kenya provoke as much devotion — and division — as Prophet Dr. David Edward Owuor, the founder of the Repentance and Holiness Ministry. To his followers, he is a divinely appointed end-time prophet preparing the world for the coming of the Messiah. To his critics, he is a charismatic cleric whose ministry raises hard questions about power, wealth, accountability and the human cost of religious fanaticism.
As the dust continues to swirl around endless controversies, Owuor remains one of the most talked-about — and scrutinised — religious leaders in East Africa.
David Owuor was born in 1966 in Goma village, Bondo, Siaya County, to Hezekiah Owuor and Margaret Ochieng. He is the second-born in a large family of nine children — six girls and three boys.
He began his education at Wambasa Primary School in Yimbo, later moving to Jusa Primary School in Siaya. His academic journey then took a regional turn when his parents relocated to Uganda. He attended Luzira and Kitalya schools, completed his O-Level education at Mbale Senior School, and later pursued A-Levels at St Peter’s College, Tororo.
Owuor briefly enrolled at Makerere University for a Bachelor of Science before returning to Kenya to study Medicine at the University of Nairobi, where he graduated in 1987. His academic path later led him to Ben-Gurion University in the Negev Desert, Israel, where he undertook doctoral studies in molecular genetics — credentials that continue to feature prominently in his public persona.
According to Owuor’s own account, his call to serve God came while he was still in Uganda, but he initially resisted it. He says the call followed him even as he briefly worked in the United States, forcing him to abandon what he describes as a promising scientific career and return to Kenya to begin his prophetic mission.
This personal testimony forms the spiritual backbone of his ministry — a narrative of sacrifice, obedience and divine compulsion that resonates deeply with his followers.
Owuor began preaching on the streets of Nakuru, drawing small crowds with fiery sermons on repentance, holiness and the imminent return of Christ. Around 2004, he formally launched the Repentance and Holiness Ministry, which steadily grew into what many consider Kenya’s largest Pentecostal-prophetic movement.
The ministry is instantly recognisable for its strict moral code and distinctive dress style, especially for women, who are encouraged to wear long, loose garments covering the body from head to toe. His sermons sharply rebuke sin, corruption and moral decay, positioning his message as a counterculture to modern excess.
To adherents, Owuor is believed to possess extraordinary spiritual authority, including the power to heal the sick and perform miracles — claims that have drawn massive crowds to his rallies across Kenya and beyond.
However, the same ministry has also attracted persistent controversy.
Critics — including former followers, civil society voices and sections of the media — have questioned the authenticity of some miracle claims, with skeptics accusing the movement of staging or exaggerating healings. Others allege that intense apocalyptic preaching has led some believers to abandon careers, surrender property and sever family ties, convinced that the end of the world was imminent.
There are also widely circulated claims of wealthy adherents — particularly women in Nairobi and other urban centres — giving up assets and lucrative jobs, only to later face financial ruin, psychological distress and legal disputes when life continued as normal. Some former followers speak of depression, breakdowns and disillusionment after leaving the movement.
While these accusations are strongly disputed by the ministry, they have fuelled a broader national debate on religious accountability, mental health and the regulation of faith-based organisations.
Another recurring flashpoint is Owuor’s lavish lifestyle. Images and reports of high-end vehicles, tight security convoys and residence in exclusive neighbourhoods have sharpened criticism, especially when contrasted with followers who continue to struggle with poverty and economic hardship.
Supporters argue that prosperity does not invalidate a divine calling and insist that offerings are voluntary. Critics counter that the optics reinforce concerns about celebrity religion, where spiritual authority and material privilege blur uncomfortably.
Love him or loathe him, Prophet Owuor has undeniably shaped Kenya’s religious landscape. He taps into deep anxieties about morality, inequality, corruption and the future — themes that resonate powerfully in uncertain times.
As Kenya grapples with the fine line between freedom of worship and protection from exploitation, the story of David Owuor remains a case study in how faith, charisma and power collide in the modern age.
Whether history will remember him as a genuine prophetic voice or a symbol of excess within charismatic Christianity may depend less on belief — and more on accountability, transparency and the long-term impact of his ministry on the lives of those who followed him most faithfully.
