Clinton Obudho

Introduction

Clinton Owour Obudho, alias “Deacon Daudi,” is one of three people charged in Kenya with unlawfully managing an unregistered church in Bondo, Siaya County, in a case that also involves allegations that three minors were harmed during a purported exorcism ritual. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) said Obudho, together with Gaudencia Juma Otieno, alias “Church Mother,” and Stephen Omondi Otieno, alias “Pastor,” appeared before the Bondo Law Courts to face charges linked to the alleged activities of the church. All three denied the charges. Obudho faces additional counts of grievous harm and assault occasioning actual bodily harm over allegations involving three minors: according to the prosecution, he poured hot water on the children under the guise of conducting an exorcism or “deliverance” ritual, and two of the children are reportedly hospitalised with severe burns. The Star reported the case on October 13, 2026, in an article by Andria Krystina.

Background Information

The charges described by the ODPP centre on the management of a religious society that prosecutors say was never registered. The three accused were alleged to have been unlawfully managing the society at Ogago Village, Barkowino Sub-location, Bondo Sub-county, on October 4, 2026, without registration or exemption. Prosecution Counsel Edwin Nyakundi told the court that their alleged actions violated Section 5, as read with Section 4(1) of the Societies Act, Cap. 108 of the Laws of Kenya.

The Star’s report does not give the church a name; the institution is described only as an unregistered church in Bondo and, in the ODPP’s account, as a society. The report likewise contains little biographical detail about Obudho: it gives no age, no account of his life outside the church, and no description of his role beyond the alias “Deacon Daudi” attributed to him by the ODPP. His co-accused are identified in the same way — Otieno by the alias “Church Mother” and Stephen Omondi Otieno by the alias “Pastor” — and the three are described as having appeared together before the Bondo Law Courts.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

The allegations at the center of the case date to October 4, 2026, the day the three are accused of unlawfully managing the society at Ogago Village in Bondo Sub-county. For Obudho personally, the gravest allegations concern three minors. The prosecution told the court that he poured hot water on the children under the guise of conducting an exorcism or “deliverance” ritual, and that the purported ritual resulted in injuries to the minors. Two of the children are reportedly hospitalised with severe burns, according to the ODPP.

Those allegations were formalised as two additional counts against Obudho, alongside the registration charges faced by all three defendants. He was charged with grievous harm contrary to Section 234 of the Penal Code and with assault occasioning actual bodily harm contrary to Section 251. The Star’s account presents these as allegations: the counts arise from what the prosecution says happened during the purported ritual. The three minors are not named in the report, which identifies them only by number and describes their condition as reported by the ODPP.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The three accused appeared before Resident Magistrate Chepchirchir Christabel Maiyo at the Bondo Law Courts, where they denied the charges. After hearing the prosecution’s account, the court set bond terms that distinguished among the defendants. Gaudencia Juma Otieno was granted a bond of Sh100,000, with an alternative cash bail of Sh50,000. Omondi Otieno and Obudho were each granted a bond of Sh300,000, but the court ruled out a cash bail alternative for the two of them.

The ODPP publicised the charges on the day the three appeared in court, and The Star’s report, published that morning, framed the case as one involving “allegations of operating a society without the required registration and causing harm to minors during a purported religious ritual.” The report does not record any public comment from the accused, any statement from the church, or any reaction from local officials, and it does not state a date for the next hearing.

Current Status

As of the October 13, 2026 report, the case is at its earliest stage. The three accused have denied the charges and have not been tried; Obudho has been charged with grievous harm and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, but nothing in the report documents a conviction on any count. The Star stated the position plainly: “The accused persons have denied the charges, and the allegations presented by the prosecution remain subject to determination by the court.” No trial date, plea-hearing follow-up, or next appearance date is given in the report.

Obudho and his co-accused are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. The account of the hot-water “deliverance” ritual comes from the prosecution, as relayed by the ODPP and reported by The Star, and the injuries to the three minors are allegations to be tested before the court.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The immediate consequence documented in the report is the pending prosecution itself, together with the bond conditions attached to the three defendants’ release. Obudho’s bond of Sh300,000 carries no cash bail alternative, meaning the court did not offer him the shorter route to release available to his co-accused Gaudencia Juma Otieno, who could instead post Sh50,000 in cash. Both of the additional counts he faces — grievous harm under Section 234 and assault occasioning actual bodily harm under Section 251 of the Penal Code — carry potential penal consequences if proven, but no outcome has been determined.

Because the church at the center of the case was allegedly unregistered, the proceedings also put the activities of the Ogago Village society squarely before the criminal courts, with the prosecution asserting that its management violated the Societies Act. The report documents no suspension, resignation, or other professional consequence for the accused beyond the charges and bond terms, and it does not state whether the church has continued to operate. The condition of the two hospitalised children, as reported by the ODPP, remains the most serious human consequence described in the coverage.

Sources

• The Star, “Three charged over alleged church ritual that left children burned” — source