Brewing Division within the South Sudanese Churches in Kenya along Ethnic Lines
3 min readChurch Delegation on Fact-finding and Peace Mission Arrives in Eldoret, Kenya.
By Emmanuel Malual Makuch, Eldoret, Kenya
A high delegation composed of Chairperson RT Rev Isaac Dhieu Ater, Rev John Chol Dau and Rev. Dr. Joseph Bilal on a church fact-finding and peace mission for South Sudan Diaspora Congregations has arrived in Eldoret, Kenya, to meet the congregations and the religious leaders in Eldoret and to find out the division in the churches in Kenya
The church delegation says that the reason of this mission is to establish the key reasons and challenges facing the churches in- and out-side South Sudan. Kenya was chosen as the first leg of their mission because the country has been hosting large numbers of South Sudanese since the time of struggle for independence with over fifty congregations of South Sudanese mainly Anglicans spread across the country including Kakuma refugee camp. Such congregations have become instrumental places for promotion of peace, reconciliations, unity and positive values among the South Sudanese in Diaspora.
Of late, however, Anglican Communion has learnt with regret that the churches in Diaspora have divided themselves into regions and tribes. “That is the main reason why we are here in Kenya today to find out the group of rebels in the church who are dividing people of God according to the tribes or regions,” said the chairperson, Rev. Isaac Dhieu. It has been reported that some towns such as Nairobi, Nakuru and Eldoret have formed some tribal and regional churches like the Greater Bar el Ghazal Church, the Padang Church, the Dinka Bor Church and the Nuer Congregations.
This unfortunate proliferation of tribal and regional churches demonstrates the acute lack of unity and harmony among our people as one family of one God. Rev. Isaac Dhieu says “as the church leaders we are bringing people together under one God.” At the meeting, the RT Rev Isaac Dhieu Ater has asked: “what can we do to bring people together and what is the problem of dividing the churches into regions and tribes?”
Some members of the church such as Mary says that the problem in the churches is hundreds clergymen (Abuna) whose status or circumstances of their appointment were either not properly established or institutionalized. Secondly, there is lack of proper structures within the churches especially among these South Sudanese Anglicans congregations. The delegation told the Anglican congregations to liaise with the Anglican structures of the hosting countries such as Kenya.
The divisions within the churches in Kenya have prompted some members of the Anglican congregation to complain about the leadership of Bishop Ezekiel Diing Ajang, asking him to be removed from leadership. His leadership style brought a lot of rebellions in the churches in Kenya according the congregations views.
The delegation is calling upon the Christians to put all their differences aside and work together for peace in our country because the church has been playing good role since the time of the struggle for independence of south Sudan.
(Reporting by Emmanuel Malual Makuach from Eldoret, Kenya; Editing by PaanLuel Wel from Juba, South Sudan)
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