Leadership wrangles at Methodist Church of Kenya took on a new twist on Friday after it defrocked ten senior ministers, including its former leader, Stephen Kanyaru.
The church announced through newspapers that it had defrocked Kanyaru, alongside Misheck Kanake and Isaiah Deye and some eight ministers, for interfering with the legitimate leadership of the outfit.
They are said to be allied to Kanyaru in the endless power struggle in the church which has grown nasty by the day.
The wrangles found their way into courts and, at one instance early this month when Kanyaru group declared a coup in the church, police had to fire in the air and make arrests to restore calm at its Lavington offices.
Other defroked ministers include Charles Makonde, Jacob Gituma Ibuathu, Maingi Rukaria, James Muriki, Ronald Nzai, Raichard Yaro Abio, Lawrence Chidongo and Cosmas Tuji.
The church also excomunicated seven members:Gerisson Mwiti, Geoffrey Kinoti Kathurima, Gladys Mwiti, Hellen Kamenchu, Kobia Michubu, Martin Baariu Muriuki and Matthew Ageri Kaburu.
The defrocking and excommunication of the leaders and their faction is a culmination of a complex power struggle aimed at removing the current church leader, Bishop Joseph Ntombura.
Ntombura had taken over leadership from Kanyaru in 2013.
But Kanyaru group alleged that Ntombura was running down the church with incompetence and allegations of corruption.
Ntombura, however, dismissed his removal, declaring that the faction that claimed to have taken over was no longer a flock in the church.
On the charges levelled against him, Ntombura said that they are all false and “nothing new they are bringing here.”
“The same old story, which they have taken all over to court, to the DCI, to our partners, and they have not succeeded because all is false,” he said.
At the height of the fights, Kenya Methodist University owned by the church had to put its Nairobi campus on sale as it failed to service its loan from Cooperative Bank.
Kanyaru complained that Ntombura's alleged failed leadership had led to the financial crisis, claiming that the church was financial stable when he left.
(edited by Amol Awuor)
