Canada To Deport Kenyan Pastor Despite Fleeing Persecution
A Kenyan-born pastor is fighting for her life in Canada, facing deportation back to the nation she fled due to threats from a prominent religious authority.
Reverend Rosalind Wanyeki, who has been serving the Kenyan expatriate community in Toronto for five years, is set to be deported on August 7, despite widespread community support for her stay.
Wanyeki fled Kenya with her two small children, ages four and eight months, after being persecuted by a high-ranking church official.
Since moving to Canada, she has started a church, operated a business, and provided spiritual and emotional support to over 1,000 Kenyans.
A respected reverend, community leader and mother of two faces deportation back to the very danger she fled and advocates are calling on the federal government to make good on a 2021 promise to protect undocumented migrants https://t.co/Oqx9OjuVwl
— CityNews Toronto (@CityNewsTO) August 3, 2025
“I was already established; I had the church, and I had my own business. I have my two kids,” Wanyeki told Canadian media, City News.
“I would not have come all this way if I had other options. Asking me to go back is as good as telling me to die.”
Local religious leaders and community members have organized a campaign to prevent her deportation.
They cautioned that her departure would result in a substantial gap in spiritual and emotional support for Kenyan immigrants in Toronto.
“Within our Kenyan community, we rely heavily on clergy like Reverend Rosalind for counselling and mental support,” said Reverend John Munywoki, a fellow clergy member.
“Her removal would tear apart a lifeline many depend on.”
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Advocates from the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change are also urging the Canadian government to keep its commitment to regularise unauthorized migrants by 2021.
Sign the petition! Stop the deportation of Reverend Rosalind Wanyeki! #Toronto #Canada@AmnestyToronto @MarkJCarneyhttps://t.co/JtoJp38bR5
— 🎭 Sändi Cöle 🎭 (@Sandra_Cole44) August 4, 2025
They contend that the current system is failing individuals such as Wanyeki, who have made significant contributions to Canadian society.
While Wanyeki’s application for permanent residency and risk assessment is still pending in the courts, community leaders are concerned that deportation may occur before a final judgment is reached.
They want immigration authorities to delay the process until all legal options have been exhausted.
Canada To Deport Kenyan Pastor Despite Fleeing Persecution
