It’s end of an era as curtains fall on fiery church leader

PHOTO | FILE Retired Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya David Gitari addresses the Media at a past function.  NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary

• The consummate preacher delivered his first sermon at 15, but it was not until 1988, when he shot to the national limelight by denouncing the queue-voting system
• But he also had his share of detractors within the Church

By JULIUS SIGEI

The death of retired Anglican Archbishop David Mukuba Gitari on Monday marked the beginning of the end of an era of a bold generation of Church leaders, whose brave activism helped usher in what has been dubbed Kenya’s second liberation.

The leaders believed in the role and power of the pulpit to transform society. Dr Gitari often chided the government for embracing the Church’s contribution to development while at the same time asking it to keep off politics. The two parties clashed whenever the clergy questioned misrule.

“The Church has a duty and mandate to address itself to matters spiritual as well as physical. We will persistently sensitise our government to regularly repair roads, bridges, fill in potholes, and to see to it that the Traffic Police stop receiving bribes from drivers,” he vowed at his consecration in January 1997.

In August of the same year, Dr Gitari chaired a group of Muslim and Christian leaders in finding a common ground for reforms between Kanu and the Opposition — developments that led to the Inter-Parties Parliamentary Group, which is credited for handing the Opposition a chance to appoint election referees.

And whether by chance or by design, Dr Gitari retired in 2002 after Kanu was vanquished — a symbolic transition that could as well be interpreted to mean one of the most politically engaged of prelates had done his work.

In his last sermon, he had choice words for President Moi, whom he accused of visiting misery and suffering on Kenyans.

“Today there are more children out of school than there are in school. Kenyans are dying every day of curable diseases.”

But Dr Gitari was equally impatient with the faithful, whom he accused of being docile — a situation he said helped in perpetuating ills in the country.

FIRST SERMON

A poem by his successor Benjamin Nzimbi during the latter’s consecration on 22 September 2002 best captures the prelate’s character: “Gitari ni hodari. Gitari ni daktari. Gitari ni jemedari. Gitari ni hatari.” (Gitari is bold. Gitari is a doctor. Gitari is a commander. Gitari is dangerous.)

The consummate preacher delivered his first sermon at 15, but it was not until 1988, when he shot to the national limelight by denouncing the queue-voting system.

He hit out at the infamous mlolongo together with Alexander Muge and Henry Okullu, and Timothy Njoya under the aegis of the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK).

He was then the bishop of Mount Kenya East, which brought him in constant confrontation with local leaders.

He loudly clashed with James Njiru, then powerful Kirinyaga Kanu chairman and minister for Political Affairs and National Guidance, accusing him of hiring youth wingers to assassinate him. He banned the minister from his church. The quarrel also cost Mr Njiru his Cabinet post.

But he goes to grave a bitter man, not having known who exactly wanted to kill him in 1989. In 2011, he told a Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission public forum in Embu Town that he would like to know “why political thugs” had been hired to kill him at his Philadelphia home in Kirinyaga on the night of April 22 and 23 in 1989.

The attack attracted the attention of both local and international media, and was condemned by many church organisations across the world.

TRUTH TEAM'S REPORT

Then President Daniel Moi, who was on a state visit of Tanzania, announced the he would form a commission of inquiry. He would, however, retire 13 years later without making public the findings of the investigations into the raid.

One of the prelates’ last public statements was that he be given a copy of the Truth team’s report. The Archbishop also wanted his name expunged from a Parliament’s report in which he was attacked and labelled a communist for opposing a resolution seeking to abolish NCCK.

But the controversial preacher also had his share of detractors within the Church. He was, for instance, accused by his enemies of ousting his would-be competitors in his climb to the top of what was then known as the Church of the Province of Kenya.

He later cancelled the election of Bernard Njoroge as bishop of Kajiado — a move that was later overturned by the High Court.
He also defrocked Bishop of Mount Kenya South George Njuguna on allegations of adultery.