Kenya is not a place you’d expect to find an underground church. 

photo courtesy

But, in the northern stretches of the sprawling, traffic choked capital of 4 million people in Nairobi, an underground Chinese house church is exactly what May Li, wife of a Malaysian-Chinese pastor, helps to lead illustrating just how far the Communist Party’s religious crackdown has traveled. 

It is noteworthy that the three main churches in Nairobi are led by Chinese pastors from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Malaysia regions outside of mainland China where Chinese people enjoy greater freedom to practice their religion.

According to international media house CNN, the secret congregation of the underground church gathers on Sundays in a tiny space in the basement of a sizable Kenyan church. Photography is not permitted.

No attendees’ names may be disclosed. Nobody who attends the church in Nairobi who is from China wants to be identified as a Christian.