- Stephen Ayoo

Finger of God. This is the latest of many catchwords, "churches" and or businesses to come out of Kenya's booming religious sector. So ubiquitous has this name become in the minds and even acts of some Nairobi-based Kenyans that mention it anywhere and you will receive, in the very least, an expression of want-to-know-more. And this is brought to you courtesy of a TV poster girl, and a jazz music maestro-cum-preacher. What a combination!!

Their names not in any urgent need for mentioning, but I will anyway, Joseph Hellon and former TV anchor, Esther Arunga, are finding it rough in their pursuit to shed off their celebrity-tagging and live a personalized life defined by one finger and cushioned from the hands of many critics and doubting Thomasses who have dared to challenge the pair's faith.

Whilst Esther Arunga has stirred and snowballed the whole saga to its boiling point, many followers of the Finger of God ministry are not shying away from announcing that they were once touched by this controversially holy finger. Many of them are unexpectedly confessing that they belong or once belonged to this church (read, cult, if you are not a Finger of God-er). And that includes this colleague of mine am beginning to fear her touch and fingers. Let's call her Atuech.

Atuech confessed to me that she has been attending evening prayers at a certain joint - I call it, joint, because she can only give directions using bars and pubs - located in the Central Business District. Every evening after the hustles and bustles of work, she walks nonchalantly towards this joint run by the Finger of God ministries for a praise and worship session. This 'inspiring session', as she calls it, starts from 7pm and ends at around 10am, with songs, dances, loud ululations and sermons satiating the urge for faith-based evening appetizers, main courses and deserts. This table is only reserved for a congregation of twenty or less, she says.

After jumping herself to the comforting eclectic jazz tunes and electric sermons, she leaves this place feeling blessed and holding her finger higher than when she went in. Atuech says the evening praise and worship session is normally graced by all the single ladies, bachelors and the who's and who's in the Kenyan media fraternity. "Most of these personalities from the media industry attend the Church's prayer sessions, yet they are the same same ones who are know casting stones at her (Esther A-ruined Gal) and playing the holier than thou game," she sighs.

Atuech, just like many other lambs of the Finger of God Church came to only knew fully of the Church's un-Church-like activities when the wind finally blew hot.

"One of the Tatuu's (a popular local song group of three songstresses) attend the sessions, so does a former Mr. Kenya, former Who's Smarter Now anchor, celebrities, other journalists from KTN (Esther Arunga's former employers) and even employees from NTV," she laments.