Three dead in Vihiga church fight

A policeman stands guard at what remained of the African Israel Church following a fight that left three people dead on August 9, 2015. PHOTO | TONNY OMONDI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • A Red Cross official, Ms Florence Achayo, named the dead as Mr Zebedayo Madegwa, a visiting bishop from Nandi and Mr Isaac Onyango.
  • Wrangles, that have taken the shape of a family feud, started following a disagreements on how to transfer leadership from the family of the current archbishop John Mweresa.
  • Vihiga county commissioner Boaz Cherutich said that four people were arrested in connection to the incident.

Three people were killed on Wednesday following a fight between two factions of the African Israel Church Nineveh in Vihiga County whose control two brothers are fighting over.

When the Nation visited the church, two bodies lay at the scene with head and chest injuries.

Yesterday, the archbishop’s house in the church compound, six motorbikes and a car had been burned

A Red Cross official, Ms Florence Achayo, named the dead as Mr Zebedayo Madegwa, a visiting bishop from Nandi, and Mr Isaac Onyango.

Witnesses said goons stormed the church headquarters at Jebrok, attacked worshippers and burnt down the bishop’s house.

The attackers, who were armed with stones and metal bars, disrupted a handing-over ceremony.

Bloodstains were all over the spacious church compound.

Wrangles that have taken the shape of a family feud started following disagreements on how to transfer leadership from the family of the current archbishop, John Mweresa.

Archbishop Mweresa has led the church for the past 30 years since his father Paulo Kivuli, the church’s founder, died.

The archbishop was expected to hand over leadership of the church to Mr Evans Jadiva, who had won an election in April 2014.

Mr Jadiva had beaten Mr Daniel Kivuli, Archbishop Mweresa’s brother, in the polls that have been at the centre of the row.

Eleven people were rushed to Mbale hospital in critical condition. Late police reports said six suspects had been arrested.

The assailants pulled down a section of the church’s wall and entered the compound from an end where there were no activities.

Vihiga County commissioner Boaz Cherutich said four people were arrested in connection with the incident.

Mr Cherutich said officers suspected the thugs were hired by one of the warring leaders from Kisumu.

“The attackers were not members of the church,” said Mr Cherutich.

He said police had launched investigations, with the county already drawing up a plan to reconcile the warring factions.

Mr Meshack Angoya, a survivor, said the faction that organised the attack wants to take over the church by force. “We were inside the church when heavily armed men arrived here in vehicles. They were violent, burnt down the archbishop’s house and some of us started fighting back,” said Mr Angoya.

He said the worshippers suspected Archbishop Mweresa was targeted because he had custody of the church documents.

“He is the grandson of the late founder. We are aware that his brother was interested in this seat,” said Mr Angoya.

The church leaders have been embroiled in a leadership tussle. On July 30, a court ordered Archbishop Mweresa to hand over the church leadership to Mr Jadiva.

Mr Jadiva had been given the green light by the court to take over the leadership and was due to take office after yesterday’s handing-over, which was cut short by the attack.

Earlier, he had asked Archbishop Mweresa to give up the fight for the seat and join the church as a regular member.

The wrangling pitting Archbishop Mweresa against his younger brother Bishop Daniel Kivuli, sucked in Bishop Evans Jadiva, who won the elections held in April last year but could not take over the church after Archbishop Mweresa contested the election in court.

Archbishop Mweresa has been at the helm of the church for the past 31 years after he took over from his late father, Rev Zacheaus Kivuli, who founded the church in the 1950s.