Two men accused of falsely claiming that preachers had made their genitals disappear have been arrested and are expected to appear in court on Monday.
The unrest unfolded on Friday in Soweto, Kadzandani Ward in Nyali sub-county, Mombasa, where angry residents attacked several preachers who were carrying out door-to-door evangelism.
Police said the two men, whose identities have since been established, alleged that some of the preachers had mysteriously caused their genitals to vanish after greeting them.
The claims quickly spread across the neighbourhood, causing fear and leading residents to accuse four of the eight preachers of witchcraft before assaulting them.
Nyali sub-county police commander Davidson Muga said on Saturday that police arrested the two men who accused the preachers of being witches and causing the alleged disappearance. He said physical examinations showed the claims were false because their private parts were intact.
The two suspects remain in custody and are expected to face charges for providing false information that put the preachers’ lives at risk.
Muga rejected the allegations, saying there is no scientific or medical basis for claims that body parts can disappear without medical intervention.
He also cautioned residents against branding people as witches, warning that such accusations can endanger innocent lives.
Muga said a person cannot be identified as a witch simply by looking at them.
The incident has renewed discussion about misinformation, superstition and the risks created by unverified claims.
Police pointed to a similar case in Tanzania reported by the BBC. In an April 10, 2026 report, the broadcaster said eight people were sentenced to between five and six months in prison after making similar accusations.
According to that report, the individuals claimed their genitals had disappeared after being touched on the shoulder by people they accused of witchcraft.
Tanzanian police dismissed the allegations as false and said the rumours nearly led to mob violence against innocent people.
The BBC also reported that Tanzanian authorities arrested more than 100 people over similar incidents within a week.
The Mombasa case has also drawn public discussion among residents and commentators.
BBC journalist Roncliff Odit dismissed the allegations as baseless and warned that such claims could put innocent people in danger.
Odit questioned how body parts could disappear without a struggle and said those responsible should be held accountable under the law, as happened in Tanzania.
He added that there is no scientific basis for body parts vanishing through supernatural means.
However, journalist Mohamed Seif urged caution against outright dismissal of people’s beliefs while condemning mob violence.
Seif said such reports often create fear and panic, prompting members of the public to act irrationally.
He said authorities must rely on scientific standards to verify such claims, while acknowledging that science has limitations. He argued that relying only on science would mean rejecting belief in God or angels.
Lawyer and journalist David Ochami said there was no evidence to support the allegations made by the two men.
Ochami asked whether any evidence existed and whether anyone had actually seen that the alleged body parts were missing.
He urged journalists to be careful when reporting such stories and to avoid amplifying superstition.
He said he would avoid presenting the story in a way that reinforced superstition or suggested that human body parts could disappear through supernatural means without proof.
Ochami said journalists, like historians, should rely on verifiable facts and demand evidence for what they are told.
Meanwhile, police said they had to call in officers from Nyali, Lebanon and Kisauni police stations to support colleagues from Mwatamba police station after a crowd estimated at about 500 people tried to attack the preachers.
Muga said residents threw stones at officers as they attempted to stop them from rescuing the preachers, who had been sheltered inside a house for safety.
Police used teargas and fired warning shots into the air to disperse the crowd.
Muga said officers entered the house after dispersing the crowd and rescued the eight preachers, using a back door to move them to Nyali Police Station for safety.
Police later said some members of the crowd stormed the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses church in Bamburi, damaged property and stole a generator.
Muga said preliminary investigations showed the victims were preachers from Jehovah’s Witnesses, not witches, and described those who tried to attack them as criminal elements.
The preachers later gave statements before receiving medical treatment.
Muga said three of the eight preachers suffered serious injuries to their heads and hands, while another sustained minor soft tissue injuries.
Jehovah’s Witnesses elder Martin Henya said four of the injured preachers were admitted to a hospital outside Mombasa County.
Henya said they were taken there because church leaders feared for their safety.
He said the church is consulting its headquarters in Nairobi and may temporarily suspend door-to-door evangelism and other activities for security reasons.
Henya praised police for acting quickly and said church leaders now had to consider the safety of fellow worshippers, adding that house-to-house ministry would be paused for a while.
The Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses in East Africa also condemned the attack.
In a statement, the association’s director of communication, Victor Karoki, said Jehovah’s Witnesses are peaceful, law-abiding citizens known for respectful conduct and efforts to help others through Bible education.
Muga warned against mob violence, saying law enforcement agencies would not tolerate criminal acts carried out under the cover of public anger.
He said criminal elements could not be allowed to rule and cited a presidential directive to deal with goons, warning that police would act.