Wrangles disrupt worship at troubled Vihiga’s Africa Israel Nineveh Church

Police in Vihiga moved in on Sunday to avert a possible clash between two rival camps at Africa Israel Nineveh Church in which three people were killed in 2015.

Tension was high at the church’s headquarters in Jebrok, off the Kisumu-Kakamega highway, as one group opposed the reopening of the main church despite a court order.

A contingent of police officers, who were deployed to the church’s compound from Friday, ensured the groups did not make contact even though the function had been called to foster reconciliation in the church that has not known peace for two years.

One camp is led by the current Archbishop John Mweresa while the other is under Archbishop-elect Evans Jadiva.

On August 9, 2015, the church members fought each other during what was supposed to be a hand-over ceremony to pave way for archbishop-elect Jadiva to take over the leadership mantle.

Three people were killed and several others, among them the wife of Archbishop Mweresa, injured as the two rival factions fought.

The three who were killed included two bishops, Zebedayo Madegwa from Nandi and Isaac Onyango who hailed from Kisumu.

Bishop Onyango also worked as a radiographer at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu.

Archbishop Mweresa’s house, six motorbikes and a car were burnt.

COURT ORDER

On Sunday, police, under the command of Hamisi OCPD Lucy Kananu, warned that they would not allow the church members to fight each other.

“I acted on a court order directing me to provide security,” Ms Kananu said.

Jadiva’s camp was restrained from gaining access into the church compound forcing them to conduct their Sunday service at the nearby market centre.

On the other hand, Mweresa’s faction was allowed into the church compound but did not hold a church service after the police asked them to return to their homes.

The deputy chairman of the Kenya National Congress of Pentecostal Churches, Rev Isaaka Wawire, who had come to mediate, said talks had failed after the two leaders declined to come together.

At the same time, Rev Alexander Ichechi, who chairs the peace committee in the church, asked Jadiva’s camp to break away from the main church and form their own.

However, Mr Jadiva insisted that his group would not break away saying the church was a society.

RE-OPEN CHURCH

“We have not used our church for two years now.

"We have been around from Friday to re-open our church after the Kisumu High Court ruled in our favour,” said Rev Ichechi.

He went on: “If the splinter group is not satisfied with the court’s decision, they should form their own faction under a different name.”

Archbishop Mweresa proceed to a nearby hill to pray and then left to an unknown destination without saying a word.

The wrangling started following disagreements on how to transfer leadership from the family of the current archbishop, who has led the church for the past 32 years.

Dispute over a 3.2 hectares piece of family land has also been mentioned as another source of the wrangling.

Archbishop Mweresa took over the church’s mantle from his grandfather, the late Paulo Kivuli, who founded the church.

A splinter group of the church led by Jadiva, with the blessings of Mweresa’s younger brother – Daniel Kivuli - was expected to take over the church in August 2015 following an election held in April 2014, but the fighting disrupted the transition.