Insanity In The Church of God!

There is something wrong with the leadership of The Church of God in (E.A.) Kenya. Started in 1905 by Wilson, the Church has barely been surviving through the 20^th Century and early 21^st Century. Handed over to Byrum by the missionaries, everything seemed to go on well at least for the camera until the Buruburu Case came up in late 90s and early 2000. This is Civil Case 1506 of 2000 in which case the Archbishop is on record asking a court of law to evict the members of the church he leads from their place of worship, a 4.22-acre piece of land at L.R.79/820. This is not just sad, it is heartbreaking! Corruption was not only being committed by the Archbishop against his own members, but also in the open!

Through the years members of the church dared not to speak of the vices being committed by the leadership for the fear of harsh repercussions. The Archbishop has mastered the art of inflicting fear in the Pastors and forcing ‘respect’ through threats of dismissal and actual summary dismissals by word of mouth in meetings before peers and through phone calls and text messages. This is done through his right-hand person and probably the second most feared person in the hierarchy, the Human Resource Personnel, Rev.Anjela. These are very bad HR procedures in any institution that wants to grow through treating its employees fairly. Upon a transfer, Pastors are expected to report to the new working stations immediately after receiving the transfer letter oblivious of such procedures as handing over nor orientations into new stations. This also negates the fact that these Pastors have families and need time to prepare their families for the shift and change of schools where younger children are involved. Pastors who delay to shift are considered to have absconded their duties!

Much was not spoken about these bad habits until 4^th of April on a Tuesday in 2000, the time painfully penned articles were posted on the Daily Nation blog. According to the articles, the first writer is unnamed, the other one is a Jeff Kens from Eldoret and for some reason they chose to give the short articles the title, ‘Church of God has Lost Direction’. The Articles can be found at; https://www.nation.co.ke/oped/1192-371250-mdrt85/index.html for ease of reference. To make it easier for us, I have quoted the articles below word for word without any alteration.

The recent skirmishes at Buru Buru Church of God have sent trepidation over the entire Church of God fraternity. Some say this came in the nick of time while others argued that it should have come earlier. Whoever is right, the fact is that it is a step towards change.

For a long time, the church leadership has been under one man, the secretary-general who is at the same time the treasurer. He has for a long time been perceived as infallible and omnipotent. This has heavily contributed to the turmoil.

In essence, the Church of God has lost its mission, which is probably why God has not blessed it the way He has other churches.

For a long time, things have been a mess. Those few who tried to ensure transparency have found their efforts frustrated and moved to other churches. Youths have particularly been victims of this act. As a result, this church has remained the property of those who can easily be manipulated. A close look at the yearly diaries of these churches is a case in point.

One is puzzled whether the objective of the church leaders is merely to raise money or to preach the gospel. Perhaps that's why those who seek the Word never stick here long. Right from week one to week 52, the sermons are about inciting the members to contribute towards something – the budget, market Sunday. Kenya church service, Easter, tithe, Christmas monthly, the homeless– you name it.

With all these finances flowing to headquarters, it would have been expected the church would flourish in different aspects, but this has not been the case. Instead many things continue falling apart. The poor pastors in these churches are paid as low as Sh800 a month. It would be paradox if they live righteous lives and dedicated to serve the Lord with these peanuts. To counter this, they have set in motion a system whereby they must be remunerated on all occasions they preside over funerals.

In a nutshell, this church has remained static in a number of areas. The members too have become spiritually lethargic. They have stuck so much on religion instead of salvation.

It is high time the Church of God was overhauled.

Concerned Worshipper.

****

I would like to register my disappointment at the way the Church of God leader, the Rev Byrum Makokha and his cronies handle the church. Take the Buruburu saga. I t exposes a lot that the church has been hiding in the past few years under Makokha's tyrannical leadership.

There are several cases where problems have arisen due to interference with the smooth running of the church-affiliated institutions like Mwihila Hospital, Mwihila Press, Mariakani Christian Centre, and Kima Theological College.

Makokha wields so much power that not even a member of the General Assembly dares challenge him lest he get the sack. Were it not for Makokha's subbornness, the Church of God would have by now been the biggest churches in the region.

Most of the pastors are old retired civil servants who earn a living this way and so owe their loyalty to Makokha. The youthful pastors and graduates of Kima Theological College are denied a chance to climb up the ladder and further their theological knowledge since they pose a threat to the church leadership. As a result, most of them run away to different churches. If it is true that the church's constitution requires its leaders to retire at 65, then Makokha should do so and let others take over.

Jeff Kens.

These were words of two troubled citizens who saw that indeed something was wrong not only with the Church but also with the leader, the self proclaimed Archbishop, Dr.Byrum Makokha. Such sentiments, and many others unrecorded, represent the general feeling within the congregation of the Church. Sadly, this misbehavior is not a reserve of Church of God only. Scandals have marred the growth of the Church both spiritually and financially. The scarce Church resources are wasted in endless court battles with different parties. Battles the leadership attracts upon itself due to blatant ignorance, greed and corruption.

It is sad how much effort is put into the wrong things, while the most important agenda of the Church is less prioritized, at least in practise. When one of the congregations awoke in Buruburu in the late 90s and early 2000s he tried to cling on to the Church to the level of being locked up in a remand facility for engaging in violence against the congregants. Both the National Council of Churches in Kenya (NCCK) and the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya (EAK) have remained silent all through and this leaves one to wonder what their role really is, if it's not helping to bring decorum in the activities of their members.

Allegedly, he, with the help of the infamous Church Properties Company General Manager, Rev.Livingstone Ambetsa, also engineered the Kisii land fraud that saw the Church lose a huge chunk of land to a famous bus company headquartered in Kisii town right on the very land that was fraudulently acquired. In exchange, the Church was built for a structure whose cost is a mere fraction of the real cost of the land given to the bus company. For a job well done, the good reverends awarded themselves with corrupt money and built a small office block at the Church’s headquarters in Kima. This is clearly not what Christ meant when He said, ‘go to every corner of the world…’.

The case about the land at Mariakani Christian Center (MCC) on L.R.209/6823 has just but helped to reveal more about the men of God in cloaks. Secretly they wanted to sell the piece of land to a Chinese Developer to demolish the Church and build commercial and residential structures, but the plot was known in good time for the members to mobilize themselves and resist. First through a dialogue which failed miserably because of course because the Byrum and his team could not just sit down to discuss the matter with the curious congregants. Previously, through a non-registered fake company, Byrum successfully engineered the same corruption on another church property on L.R.1/308 whose proceeds he awarded himself and his close friends.

Having no other option, the congregants filed a case in the High Court of Kenya on 20^th September 2018 with the first 1^st mention coming on the 31^st of October 2018 where the court injuncted the defendants. A dialogue failed to ensue on the 10^th of November 2018 before the court, on the 21^st of September 2019 on what was the 2^nd mention, directing that 18^th September 2019 be the 1^st hearing, while at the same time highly encouraging that the parties involved consider dialogue. It was never forthcoming. However, on 24^th of April 2019 and through completely ignorant affidavits, the respondents made an application regarding the suit to have the case struck out in its entirety.

Coming from the men of the cloak, the affidavits were heartbreaking. They are no different from a father denying his own child for absolutely no reason at all. Among the reasons they wanted Justice Obaga to throw out the lawsuit against them was that three of the complainants, who are members of MCC for a combined duration of more than 80 years, had no legal ground to sue the Church leaders on behalf of the congregation and on their own behalf. The other reason they swore on was that one of the complainants was not even a member of MCC! With a benefit of doubt, one can be lenient enough to forgive them for the first reason keeping in mind that they, nor their legal team, understands not what the constitution says about perpetual succession rights.

The fact that an Archbishop can lead a team of reverends and pastors to deny one of the members of the very Church they lead because the member does not agree with their plan to corruptly sell land on which a church sits is uncouth. Furthermore, this land was to be sold without the participation and express permission of the congregation nor were the proceeds going to do anything related to ministry. 411 from a reliable source indicates that these proceeds were to be shared among the few men of cloak at the helm of the Church led by the Archbishop and that even the first instalment from the buyer had been given by the time the case was filed in the High Court no wonder they tried so hard to have the case thrown out.

18^th of September 2019, the day that was to be the first hearing, turned to be a mention and both parties received directions from the Court. Both parties were to make their submissions upon which the Court would make a ruling on all preliminary applications on 30^th of January 2020. Surprisingly, Justice Obaga made a ruling dismissing the case as being weak. When a judge dismisses a case at a preliminary stage but then go ahead and include matters of what would have been a full hearing in his ruling then your guess is as good as mine. Sadly, this ruling does not only disadvantage the Church congregation, but also the whole community that benefits from the center at the expense of a few greedy leaders. Absurd! The local congregation has vowed to appeal this unjust ruling and make sure the sanity of their place of worship is maintained.

Following the ruling, the congregation planned and undertook a legal demonstration on 9^th February 2020 in objection of their leaders’ intent to sell their place of worship for individual gains. It is sad, very sad that Rev. Omamo, the Area Overseer and a direct representative of the Archbishop allegedly called armed policemen on the peaceful demonstrators who included children! If at all it was for the security of the demonstrators, then we thank God. It is also alleged that the members leading this fight against corruption have been threatened by the Archbishop, his cronies, powerful politicians and proxies. When an Archbishop chest-thumbs that a church shall be demolished whether the members like it or not then you know something is very wrong.

As the fight to protect church property from corruption continues, the leaders at the Church’s headquarters shamelessly feed off the struggling church members, while the Pastors who are not lucky enough to be near the high table are forced to survive on meagre payments but have to make sure their congregations send money to the headquarters for the Archbishop and his cohorts. An uncle to the former Speaker of the National Assembly under the coalition government, Byrum has failed to lead the Church to the place its visionary founders dreamt of. Anyone who raises concerns about his actions, or the system is expelled from the Church whether Pastors or members. There are also numerous allegations about the Human Resource Personnel, Rev.Anjela, who is rumored to be soliciting bribes from Pastors so that he can post them to somewhat financially stable branches of the Church!

It is evident that Byrum and his fellows are not stopping at anything until their corrupt plans of eating the very Church they lead to the ground succeeds. Just like Buruburu Church, MCC is not giving up on protecting their place of worship for posterity to the benefit of the community. For decades now, corruption has eaten Kenya’s access to free quality education, health care, food security, infrastructure, affordable housing and many other amenities. We shall not allow the Church that should be the custodian of sanity to be the primary propagator of the same vice, especially through its leaders. Good job to the ones that have set best practice for other institutions to learn from. The fight is on!

Corruption in Church, System ya Majambazi 2

Sometimes back I wrote here about a pending disaster and theft of land meant for Churches and community activities.  One of them being Mariakani Christian Center that almost lost it's land to crooked and greedy leaders collaborating with land-greedy arap-mashambas. The plot in question is LR 209/6723 IR 21781 on Mchumbi Road in South B.

This was a plan happening under the noses of the trustees of the Church with their express permission to demolish the church to pave way for a shopping complex and apartments! This was to happen without the participation of the members of the local congregation leave alone their permission.

As shown in the attached court order, the trustees are the Archbishop Rev. Byrum Makokha, the Deputy Archbishop Rev. James Obunde, Rev. Wycliffe Omusebe, Rev. Raphael Muyela, Rev. Monicah Ooanga, Rev. Benson Maosa and William Shimanyula. William Shimanyula is also the Chairman of the Board of the dubious Church Company that, apparently, is in charge of the church's properties.

This company; Church of God in East Africa (K) Properties, is allegedly not registered with the registrar of companies as stipulated in the church's constitution. This is the company that is driving the malicious agenda of ripping Church of God off their land. It's general manager is one Rev. Livingstone Ambetsa Nambande who reports to the Board led by Chairman  Shimanyula whose also a trustee as mentioned above. 

So after futile attempts to dialogue with the Church leadership; majorly the trustees of the Church domiciled at the headquarters of the Church in KIMA, the members of the local congregation chose to take the matter to court and a notice of motion given on 20/09/2018. The 1st hearing was on 31/10/2018 at the High Court in the Milimani Environment and Land Court presided over by Hon. Justice Obaga.

The case took about 15 minutes and the Court granted an injunction order protecting the land for the duration of the case! This was a huge milestone to the local congregation members knowing that no one will tamper with their place of worship, at least, for the duration of the case pending determination.

During the hearing, the defense council on behalf of the clients, requested the Judge to provide for an out of Court dialogue which was granted by the Court with an order that they report back to the Court regarding the same on 21/11/2018. Together with the defendants, the Church members and their council congregated outside the Court, settled on 10/11/2018 and the venue as the very Church they want to demolish!

Three days to the day of dialogue, they proposed a change of dates! Before the hearing on 31/10/2018, led by the Archbishop, they had also initiated dialogue and the local congregation members had all agreed to meet on 29/10/2018 at about 4pm only for the trustees to look down upon the members and ignore the meeting without any prior communication. The trend was repeating itself.

It saddens my heart knowing that the defense in this case is made up of men of the cloak who the society looks up to for guidance, people who purport to be Men of God (well...they could be) yet they conspire to sell the land of the very Church they lead.

For the record, the local congregation is not rebelling against Church leadership, they are not fighting the Church, they are only doing what they humanly can to protect the property of the Church from it's own greedy leaders working with outside agents. I believe it's what anyone in their right mind would do.

I know several PCEA and ACK churches have had this challenge of the trustees conspiring to sell public Church properties. My advice to you, don't fear them, don't fear the much acclaimed curses from men of God. By fighting for that land regardless of who you'll be fighting, you'll not have done any mistake. Just make sure you try your best to dialogue, record everything, be of good character all through the process. If dialogue fails, nicely put your case together and take it to the Court.

Also understand that whoever you'll be fighting may not entirely use clean defense mechanism. They will play dirty just like I've seen in this case. Don't be frightened but be smart and take precautions with everything you do.

This does not entirely mean all the men of God out there are crooked, there are many who are sold out to the ministry, if God has sent you such, listen to them, respect them and you'll go far.

Until another time, keep on resisting crooked thieves purporting to be men of God.

Inzoberi©®...

Corruption in Church; System ya Majambazi!

Corruption involving grabbing of public and private lands has become so rampant that people if fear for being evicted from their own lands by powerful people in the corridors of power. A majority thanks God for finishing another year in their own property! Churches and schools alike, face the same danger. 

Mariakani Christian Center (MCC) Church, South B, has been and is still under the danger of being unlawfully acquired by a 'land-hungry' developer with the help of the Church's General Assembly select members of the Clergy through a nonexistent company under the advice of a bogus lawyer.

It goes on record that these Church leaders as well as their counterparts have previously, allegedly, changed the user of plot L.R. 1/308 on Dennis Pritt, illegally given it to a developer and fraudulently benefitted from the proceeds thereof. This is land that had previously been set aside for the Pastors' houses.

What happened in this case is that a few people appreciated themselves with a few million shillings for having engaged in outright corruption. It is sad that even as the land was being 'developed' the Church was allegedly lied to by their leaders that the proceeds would be used to raise the Pastors' standards of life by giving them better pays.

As I write this a very high percentage of Church of God in E.A (K)'s Pastors' economic conditions' are despicable. Many of the physical places of worship are in very deplorable conditions thanks to a select regime that rips off the Church left right and center.

Marikani's land presently in question is L.R209/6823-I.R.21781. Both of these pieces of land were given to the Church by the government in early 1960s with special conditions and the lands were to be held in trust by the Church Trustees for the benefit of the local congregation.

A 1.7 acres piece of land in South B valued at more than 800 million is, according to them, supposed to be given away to be developed into a commercial center with apartments, shopping mall, and underground parking lots. The only thing the whole Church allegedly gets is 6 two-bedroom apartments, 8 one-bedroom apartments and 40 parking slots! This is unacceptable.

To make the matters worse the apartments have been valued at 7.5M and 4.5M respectively. This is in 2021 (3 years time)!, in South B!. This gives a total of 81M! Technically, we're fraudulently giving away a birthright of more than 800M for a mere 81M.

This is not the Church Christ Jesus would want to come back to take as a bride. The members of the Church have sworn not  to relent both spiritually and physically. They believe the war is theirs to lose. Shame on our members of the clergy who are perpetrating corruption even in Church!

A Church is a vital part of any community and we won't sit and watch as it's leaders misuse what God has put in their custody. I personally will not shut up while evil dominates. I will not get tired. The fight is on!

Of Two Men and Grief

Sunday, the 25^th day of June 2017 has proved to be in-erasable from my memory with an almost 100% remembrance of everything that happened. First, it’s the day my Dad breathed his last breathe at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Komarock Modern Hospital in Utawala Nairobi. Secondly, which is very key to this article, because fate brought together two men who were totally broken down by life’s circumstances and were ready to run to Timbuktu and back would it help make their circumstances better.

At about mid night, I noticed a man sitting at the lounge of the Hospital with a pretty little girl in his arms. The girl was now crying and seemed to be in so much pain. It then occurred to me that I had actually been staring at them for quite a while now; only that it had not registered in my mind until the girl started crying. Then I realized I had been lost in sorrow and thoughts about my Dad who had just passed on about three hours earlier.

We had done all we could by transferring him from Kijabe Hospital to Utawala about 9 hours earlier. I had rode with him in the ambulance for about 85KM at a neck breaking speed and helplessly watched as the attendants tirelessly did what they do best in such circumstances. A few hours at the High Dependency Unit (HDU) with Dad at Kijabe Hospital had helped me acquaint myself with some key medical terms mostly used in the HDU and ICU. This had helped me strike a somewhat tense conversation with the attendant about Dad’s progress.

The ambulance had arrived at the hospital (to our relief) barely before the attendant had answered my third question which I highly suspect had been similar to the first two. Dad had been admitted at the ICU and a majority of my family had come to share some pleasant moments with him, really doing our best to be all positive in the midst of despair (apparently because people in a coma can still hear conversations close-by) up until 7pm when we had left the ward. We had been called about 3 hours later with the information that Dad had passed on.

On viewing and touching the very warm but lifeless body, I remember shading gallons of tears uncontrollably but that was it. The curtains had fallen on the man I called Dad and he was gone, it was not a dream. The body was before my naked eyes.

Come on, I was meant to be talking about……let us call him Allan. I stared at Allan as he fed the young girl in his arms but still preoccupied with the above thoughts about earlier events of the day. My tears were still rolling in full defiance of my desire to stay sober for my family. The body was just due to be taken for preservation once the morgue van arrived.

This young girl’s cry woke me up to the present and for a second I wondered why she was crying and what they were doing there at that time then it occurred to me we were in a hospital. Allan’s facial expressions communicated this sharp frequent pain every time the girl screamed. He literally seemed to feel the pain the girl felt. After feeding her he now started to swing her gently on his lap probably hoping that a few hours’ sleep would relieve her off some pain.

As I faced my very own fresh grief, I wondered what was going through Allan’s mind. There was not so much difference with where I had been hours before we met. What was he thinking……As he fed her. As he not only felt her pain but also expressed it through his face. As he desperately tried to get her to sleep. What was in his mind? Did he feel the weight of the situation like I had felt earlier? Was it too much for him like it almost crushed me down? So much crossed my mind in a very short time.

Finally! The girl seemed to be relieved off some pain as she started dozing off. In a short and concise meeting in my head I debated on what I could do for Allan to help out. After arriving at a conclusion I stood up from my seat, made for where Allan was sitting and sat next to him. We exchanged greetings and our eyes met; He paused for a few seconds as we maintained the eye contact.

In an even deeper voice than the greetings’, he relayed his condolences. I quickly acknowledged and strategically shifted the topic by asking about the young girl in his arms. He stared at her and told me she was his daughter and that she was sick (I can't seem to remember the condition). We had a conversation for a few minutes and I learnt that he had to juggle between a job during the day and taking care of the young beauty during the night. From the conversation I could estimate Allan’s age to be about 35 years. He also had this ‘macho’ eye contact conspicuously evident in 35-year old males who know their thing.

We ended up with each other’s arm on our shoulders praying together and broke down in the midst of the prayer. We uncontrollably let the tears flow as we held on to the last source of hope in our lives; God. We called on to Him for various reasons; we didn’t know what to do in both of our situations, and even if we did, it had proven to be too much for us. This was a scene of two strange men crying together. Men who knew nothing about each other until about an hour earlier. Faced with almost similar yet totally different challenges, we resorted to literally cry out our hearts to God.

After the prayers we quickly exchanged pleasantries and wished each other the best as I hurried away, the morgue van had arrived ready to take my Dad’s body to be preserved. Coming back to the lounge Allan was not there. I wished I had taken his number before I left. My family and I left the hospital at about 1:30 am but I thought about Allan all through. In the midst of the challenges he showed what true fatherhood is by living it. I had lost a father and here was a man fighting against all odds to see his daughter live through the scare of ill health.

Allan is the epitome of fatherhood, the definition of a providing and selflessly sacrificial father. A man who finds pride in the higher calling of fatherhood. A man who fulfills the role, hence worthy of the title. I saw in Allan a genuine desperation that directs some of  us (men) to God when we are faced with situations that are beyond our control. Sadly, this can only happen to the few who actually understand that they can depend on a Higher authority; that they need to call on God. Allan, as we have called you here, I really hope your daughter is well and that one day we shall meet. Baraka (Bessings).

Celebrating Our Fathers

What comes into your mind when you hear the term FATHER? Well, probably I should rhetorically ask of the meaning you have of this term. Do you loathe or hold any memories dear regarding this line of thought?

To some it evokes mixed feelings; anger, rage, bitterness, rejection, betrayal. Others relate differently to the mention of this term; love, compassion, provision, security etc. Yet again others are filled with anxiety, curiosity and what ifs.

Today I chose to stand with and celebrate the Fathers whose mention reminds their loved ones and the society of unconditional love, selflessness, compassion, provision etc.. Fathers who've fought against all odds to be the best to their wives, children and the society at large. Gladly in the midst of a fallen world overwhelmed with fatherlessness left, right and center, there are men who can stand and be counted as Fathers. 

Today I celebrate those men who have given up their nyama choma meetings at their favorite joints to go watch their 4 year olds graduate from baby class or take their sons for lower primary soccer tournaments. It may not make sense but if that's you. I salute you Sir. I celebrate the men who've decided not to send their wives to represent them in school on Parent's Day. The men who spend sleepless nights praying for their family. The men who show their daughters what true womanhood is by loving them unconditionally. 

The men whose sons can proudly say they are their heroes and men who are first loves to their daughters. The men who wake up daily and tarmac to and from industries because a son awaits food at the end of the day. I celebrate dad's who are not just ATM machines but best friends to their wives and children. 

I celebrate you who above material assets, have realized that real values taught to your children is the best inheritance to them. I celebrate men who are not only fathers to their children but to their wives as well. The men who spend hours helping out with homework. The men who pretend to be full yet want your children to have their fill. I celebrate the men who look out for the unfathered children next door. 

I celebrate fathers who embrace their responsibility with joy. Those men who in the midst of challenges have looked into the eyes of their wives and children and told them; It is okay even when they didn't know what they would do to make things better. I celebrate fathers who genuinely kneel before the Almighty God to cry out their hearts for their wives, children and the society. The Fathers who choose to stay in their homes for the sake of their children despite of irreconcilable differences in the home. My prayer is that you will discover how easily reconcilable those differences are before God. 

Thank you for staying. I celebrate all the above fathers though the list is endless. If for one reason or another you feel you've been inadequate to your wife and children I still celebrate you. Start today and commit the whole of you to your family, they're the only ones you have and you are the only earthly father they have. I pray that God will continue lifting you for the sake of your family for His glory. 

I am reminded of your struggles of manhood and fatherhood. The struggles you have had to face every day to remain relevant to your family. I can boldly tell you that God understands you better than all of us. He (GOD), will make things work. He will help you.

I dare tell you that the position of fatherhood (whether with a biological child or not) is a stepping stone to a world of infinite opportunities to be a blessing to your family and the society. 

The Blessings are yours.

#InzoberiMunio