Controversial 'Miracle Babies' Preacher Gilbert Deya Dies in Kisumu Crash » Capital News

KISUMU, Kenya June 18 – Renowned televangelist Bishop Gilbert Deya has died following a tragic road accident at Namba Kapiyo along the Kisumu–Bondo highway that also left 15 Moi University students injured.

According to Nyanza Regional Traffic Enforcement Officer Peter Maina, the Tuesday evening accident involved three vehicles: a Toyota Noah driven by Deya, a Moi University bus, and a Siaya County Government Toyota Fortuner.

According to police, Deya lost control of his vehicle, veering into the path of the university bus. In an effort to avoid a head-on collision, the bus swerved and overturned before Deya’s car collided with the county vehicle.

Wreckage of one of the vehicles involved in a deadly multi-vehicle accident at Kit Mikayi centre on the Kisumu-Bondo Road, where controversial preacher Gilbert Deya died and 15 Moi University students were injured on June 17, 2025.

“Deya died on the spot. Two passengers in his vehicle — his wife and another woman — sustained minor injuries. The televangelist’s body was taken to Kombewa Sub-County Hospital mortuary,” Maina told KBC journalist Wycliffe Oketch in Kisumu.

The Moi University bus was ferrying students when the crash occurred. Thirteen students sustained major injuries, while two others suffered minor injuries. The critically injured were rushed to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu for specialized treatment, while others received care at Kombewa Sub-County Hospital.

Also injured in the crash was Siaya County Executive Committee Member for Roads, George Nying’iro, and his driver, who were travelling in the county government vehicle. They both survived with minor injuries.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation, with police examining witness accounts that describe a chaotic crash scene involving swerving vehicles and the Moi University bus landing on its roof.

Deya, 72, rose to national and international prominence in the early 2000s for his controversial “miracle babies” ministry. He was later extradited from the UK and charged in Kenya with child trafficking and other offences. Despite the scandal, Deya continued his religious work and televangelism until his death.

Police have launched a full probe into the accident as the country reacts to the death of one of Kenya’s most controversial religious figures.