NAIROBI, Kenya — In a setting better known for music, dancing, and nightlife, an Anglican cleric is drawing crowds for a different reason — preaching to revellers inside nightclubs.
Michael Watenga, a priest from the Anglican Church of Kenya Diocese of Kitale, has gone viral after making appearances in entertainment joints across the country as part of what he describes as an outreach mission targeting the “lost sheep.”
Watenga has, in recent weeks, visited clubs during the Good Friday and Easter weekend in Bungoma and Migori, where he delivered short sermons and prayers to patrons.
Videos circulating online show the cleric making dramatic entrances into packed venues, sometimes welcomed by hostesses before the music shifts to gospel tunes.
In several clips, club-goers are seen listening attentively, with some offering donations during the sessions — a blending of faith and festivity that has sparked both praise and criticism online.
Watenga defended the unconventional approach, citing scripture and the need to reach people who may feel alienated from traditional church settings. He referenced Luke 5:32, where Jesus says he came to call sinners to repentance.
“I realised we are losing it and that we need to reach out more to clubs… because watu wako huko roho safi and then they are judged by the society, by the church. We need to go there kuwahubiria ndio wapate kumjua Yesu,” he said.
He argued that many partygoers feel judged or sidelined by religious institutions and that meeting them in their own spaces offers a safer environment for engagement.
“Unajua Yesu alikuwa anawaendea kwenye wako… healing takes place in safe places… kwenye msee anafeel hayuko condemned,” he added.
The outreach has drawn comparisons with unconventional evangelism globally, including Portuguese Catholic priest Guilherme Peixoto, popularly known as DJ Padre, who blends electronic dance music with faith-based messaging.
Watenga’s approach has sparked debate on social media, with supporters praising the effort to reach new audiences while critics question whether nightclubs are appropriate spaces for preaching.
