‘Bishop’ Johanna: Controversial cleric who sparked outrage over inappropriate touching in ‘exorcism’ dies

Controversial Bishop Johanna, who elicited debate and outrage after he was filmed indecently touching a faithful in the name of exorcising evil spirits, is dead.

The ‘Bishop’, whose real name is Danson Gichuhi, a diehard Arsenal fan in the English Premier League, breathed his last on Thursday.

The February 16, 2024 footage of the ‘devil exorcism’ had striking similarities with sexual assault, the bishop lying on the ground beside a woman while groping her while ‘casting out demons’.

His wife Mary Wanjiku told NTV that “it is true my husband who you people found so much fun covering as a juicy news source is no more”.

She added that “his Arsenal fans should be informed that he breathed his last in the evening while receiving treatment at Nakuru Level Five hospital after a long illness bravely borne”.

“My loving husband and the father of my four children died aged 54 and we will miss his love, dedication and hard work, besides being our spiritual pillar,” she said.

The over 6.5 feet tall ‘Bishop’ was known for his walk using crutches, a popular figure in Murang’a town where he mostly appeared in a local joint any time his Arsenal team had a game, to cheer.

He had revealed that his disability was as a result of osteoarthritis attack that required Sh600, 000 to be fitted with an artificial hip joint.

About the controversies that dogged his life, Ms Wanjiku said “judgement belongs to God and his soul shall be accorded eternal justice by he who called him to serve”.

In the controversial footage that elicited heated online debate with calls that he be arrested and charged, the ‘Bishop’ defended himself saying “that is my specialty and approved by God through my anointment”.

The woman who was being redeemed from demons defended her ‘Bishop’, saying she wilfully sought the service.

“My husband had eloped with another woman. In search of domesticating him, I sought the services of a witch doctor who had applied medicine on my bust and genitals to make me attractive in a bid to bring him back home. But it never worked,” she testified.

She added that the witchcraft abracadabra started tormenting her, a friend finally recommending ‘Bishop’ Johanna as the only who could redeem her from the powers of darkness.

As an antidote to the witchcraft’s medicine, ‘Bishop’ Johanna was seen applying on her privates with ‘holy’ oil that he had packed in a portable sprayer.

So intense was the ‘deliverance’ that the woman upon being declared free of demons struggled to compose herself and looking fatigued declared: “Bishop you nearly killed me”.

‘Bishop’ Johanna in a phone interview with Nation countered that in exercise of that exorcism, he relied on the Biblical writings captured in Mark 5:9 where Jesus was driving demons out of a soul.

Ms Wanjiku on Thursday insisted that her husband was not a fake man of God “and was not a spiritual error”.

She described him as the founder of the Christian Committed Gospel Church that has branches in Murang’a, Nakuru and Kirinyaga counties.

His Facebook account that currently has over 1,700 followers–before the video was uploaded he had 1,300 followers–has his mission statement as: “Deliverance and counselling the possessed through spiritual power in Jesus name”.

Ms Wanjiku said such fascinating aspects of her husband’s escapades were the spiritual mojo that made him tick.

“He has been ministering the Christian gospel for the past 30 years, 24 of them in the deliverance business,” she said.

In an earlier interview with Nation.Africa, he had postured that he gained popularity in 2014 when he confronted some tough demons in Kuresoi in Nakuru County that had defied and attacked 30 members of the clergy.

“I went after those demons disabled as I am and as my fellow clergy ran away, I remained put and managed to subdue and order the evil spirits to depart from Kuresoi. That is how I became a known force and trended in the mainstream media for delivering minds from possession of powers of darkness,” he said.

About being seen caressing the female sheep in a manner likely to be interpreted as influenced by randy mindset, ‘Bishop Johanna’ disputed.

“In deliverance, a faithful won’t come saying the problem is in the head and you treat the stomach…You apply oil on the problematic area…The spirits were declaring that they had attacked her tits and genitals…That is where I had to cleanse,” he said.

Ms Wanjiku said she was well aware of how her husband attended to those possessed and not at any given moment did she take offense.

“It served no interest in him to be naughty. His was a calling and I perfectly understood him. I believed in his spiritual service,” she said.

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