A pastor in Tana River found himself compelled to flee during a church service as the congregation turned hostile, accusing him of swindling a portion of funds raised to cover a church member’s hospital expenses.

As reported by the Daily Nation, Anne Musyoki, the church treasurer, revealed that an amount exceeding 92,000 shillings had been subtracted from the total of 530,000 shillings raised for settling the hospital bill of a church member who had undergone surgery at a hospital in Nairobi.

“We became aware of this when the family informed us that the hospital was refusing to release the patient due to an outstanding balance of 51,000 shillings. What shocked us was the amount they claimed to have received from the church, which fell short by 92,000 shillings,” Musyoki stated.

The congregation had requested the pastor to deliver the funds to the family and had even taken into account his logistical expenses.

When questioned about the significant shortfall, the pastor explained to the congregation that it was designated for tithing and other matters he would account for at a later time.

ALSO READ: Church pastor among suspected robbers killed by police officers

As tensions mounted among the congregation, the pastor left the pulpit, promising to return with the missing money, only to vanish altogether.

He clarified that he departed for his own safety, as the congregation had begun pelting him with stones.

The pastor acknowledged, “To err is human. I have a different faith perspective, and that’s why I allocated the funds as tithes, but I will reimburse and resolve the matter with my congregation,” as he spoke to the newspaper.

The church members insisted that the pastor must account for the money, and they pledged to raise the deficit required to settle the outstanding hospital bill.

Additionally, the church had initiated efforts to raise additional funds with the aim of enabling the family’s children to return to school and supporting them in overcoming their challenging economic circumstances.