1-2-2026
Torit
Between 2015 and 2017, I wrote to and advised one of my OBs and close friends to stop praising and following Prophet Shepherd Bushiri, warning that he was not a genuine prophet. My friend dismissed my concerns, called me names, and unfriended me. Years later, Bushiri’s story unfolded publicly: he was wanted in South Africa to answer allegations of money laundering and sexual misconduct, and he fled back to Malawi, where he continues to exploit unsuspecting followers. Sadly, many South Sudanese have not learned from such incidents, even when the realities are well known.
Today, Rev. Dr Lucy Natasha launched her ministry in Juba, with the Deputy Governor of Central Equatoria State as the guest speaker. One must ask: Does the Deputy Governor know about the controversies surrounding her ministry in Kenya? Not long ago, Rev. Natasha reportedly closed her sanctuary in Kenya due to financial challenges and announced that services would be conducted online. While online services are not inherently wrong, they raise important theological questions about communal worship, fellowship, and the breaking of bread, as encouraged in Hebrews 10:25 and Acts 4:42–47. A church is not merely a digital platform; it is a community of believers gathered in fellowship.
The
Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan guarantees freedom of
worship, and rightly so. However, this freedom should be exercised with
discernment. Ministries entering the country from abroad should be carefully
evaluated to ensure they do not exploit or manipulate vulnerable populations.
Observers and critics of Rev. Natasha’s ministry in Kenya have raised concerns
about commercialisation, manipulation of followers, and questionable practices.
Such concerns should not be ignored simply because a leader presents herself as
a charismatic spiritual figure.
The
presence of a high-ranking government official at the launch of such a ministry
is troubling. In South Sudan, hundreds of churches already exist. Juba alone
has countless congregations. The urgent mission of the Church should not be to
compete for believers but to evangelise those who have never heard the Gospel, especially
in villages where people remain spiritually unreached. When political leaders
endorse questionable ministries, they risk legitimising religious exploitation
and betraying the nation’s spiritual and moral foundations.
South
Sudan is already struggling with conflict, corruption, and moral decay. We must
ask whether we have allowed foreign religious influences to direct our
spiritual path, instead of anchoring ourselves in the God of the Bible who
speaks to us through Scripture and conscience. The Word of God warns us to be
vigilant: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls
around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Jesus
Himself warned that not everyone who calls Him “Lord, Lord” will enter the
Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 7:21). False prophets disguise themselves in sheep’s
clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. Rev. Dr Natasha is not far from this reality, given her recent past in the Kenyan ecclesiastical stories.
Therefore,
we must exercise discernment. God sends not every ministry that arrives with
glamour, titles, and political endorsement. South Sudan believers and leaders must
return to biblical faithfulness, humility, and service, lest we become prey to
spiritual predators disguised as shepherds.
End
Brutal Writer, Ecclesiastical Critic, and Freelance Teacher
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