News

Kenyan Presidential Candidate is an ISKCON Devotee

Thepranams Team

June 23, 2022

Prof. George Wajackoyah speaks to journalists at his Karen offices on February 17, 2022

On Sunday, June 19, Prof. George Wajackoyah, a presidential candidate for the Roots Party, revealed that he is an ISKCON devotee and priest.

Wajackoyah acknowledged that he was a priest in the Hare Krishna movement in an interview with Tanzanian journalist Millard Ayo. His initiated name is Krishna-Balaram Dasa and received initiation from Srila Prabhupada in Nairobi.

“I am a High Priest at the Hare Krishna – where I am referred to as a devotee. I have visited several temples across the world and I am highly revered, being the first African to hold such a position,” Wajackoyah stated.

Roots Party presidential candidate Prof. George Wajackoyah with Umapati Das on October 25, 2019.

According to the article, He took Millard Ayo to his office where he showed him the Bhagavad-gita, which he stated was akin to the Bible, so he could verify his assertions. He added that his exposure to the religion and time spent with Indians had influenced his way of thinking.

“We have our holy book – the Bhagavad-gita, which we use during our morning prayer. We apply some tilak on our foreheads and wear beads on our neck.” Wajackoyah continued, ” I do not eat meat or fish, I am a pure vegetarian.”

Wajackoyah explained that he was taken in by the devotees after they saw him living as a street beggar and eating out of dumpsters. He claimed that at the age of barely 10, he was forced to flee his home.

“My parents separated because everyone thought I was an odd child. My mother carried me in her womb for 10 and a half months, and everyone thought I was a giant.”

“Nobody wanted me and so I left Western for Nairobi, where I ended up as a street urchin, feeding from garbage bins. I then met Indians from Hare Krishna who took me in and introduced me to the religion,” he added.

Prof George Wajackoyah at the Hare Krishna Temple on October 24, 2019

Wajackoyah let the journalist know that global leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Samora Machel, Steve Jobs, and the Beatles- were all participants in his religion. The presidential candidate, whose popularity has been on the rise locally, caught the attention of Tanzanians, who were impressed by his deep faith and convictions, he also has rising popularity with the youth and younger voters.