By Stephen Makabila

Sitting in his modest office in Amagoro Township, 65-year-old Bishop Eliud Okiring exudes the air of a man at peace, satisfied with his successful past.

The image he cuts is a far cry from that of the Bishop Okiring Kenyans knew in the 1980s and 1990s when he led the struggle for the creation of the current Katakwa Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Diocese, from the then Nambale Diocese in western Kenya.

Bishop Eliud Okiring at the installation of Canon Andrew Hutchson in the US.

The battle for Katakwa Diocese remains the fiercest staged by a Kenyan community for religious freedom in independent Kenya to date.

"Katakwa never wanted a diocese in the first place, but it was forced to demand one because of the mistreatment of our people in Nambale. We wanted an independent diocese to serve the Iteso community," says Okiring.

He says the bad, abusive and dismissive language used against the Iteso by their "Luhya brothers and sisters in Christ" fuelled the urge to de-link and form a diocese for the Iteso.

When the struggle started, Okiring was the ACK Mt Elgon Archdeacon, while Isaac Namango was the Bishop for Nambale Diocese, which Katakwa was fighting to free itself from.

"Namango tried to resist, but the people were determined to fight to the last man to have their own diocese. The Iteso had their own Bible and hymn books, but they did not want to split like the Friends church had," says Okiring.

The retired Bishop likens the struggle by the Katakwa people to the spirited fight by the Sabaot Land Defence Force (SLDF), which, between mid 2006 and early last year, made Mt Elgon District ungovernable as it fought for rights over the controversial Chebyuk Settlement Scheme.

Bishop Okiring, his wife Beatrice and their children. Photos: Benjamin Sakwa/Standard and Courtesy

The height of the struggle that took place between 1986 and 1991, was the hunger strike by Katakwa faithful, who camped at the All Saints Cathedral, Nairobi, forcing the then ACK Archbishop, the late Manasses Kuria, to appoint two commissions to sort out the problem. "The hunger strike was our strongest weapon. Katakwa people would not eat when they were being denied freedom of speech and worship in Nambale."

After Archbishop Kuria recognised the seriousness of the situation, he formed the first commission headed by the outgoing ACK Archbishop, Benjamin Nzimbi.

Unlocking the dispute

"The Nzimbi Commission failed to resolve the dispute, forcing Kuria to form the Njuguna Commission which succeeded in unlocking the dispute," he says.

After a long struggle, the Diocese of Katakwa was finally carved out of the Diocese of Nambale in 1991, and its first bishop, Okiring, consecrated and enthroned on May 19, that year.

"Some of the people opposed to the creation of the diocese did not come to my consecration," he says.

But it was a wonderful day for the bishop and the people of Katakwa.

"Our struggle had been rewarded. Our happiness reached the high heavens," recalls Okiring.

Katakwa Diocese is headquartered in Amagoro. Its main church, St John’s pro-cathedral has grown from 22 parishes in 1991 to 44 today.

"The diocese has about 98,000 Christians. We have 52 clergy, four of whom are serving as chaplains in institutions outside the diocese," says Okiring.

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, over 50 per cent of the Iteso (181,491 people in Teso North and Teso South districts) belong to the ACK.

After Okiring’s retirement, the Right Rev Dr Zakayo Iteba Epusi took over as the bishop and was consecrated and enthroned on January 7, 2007.

"Although I am now retired, I still preach. From the pulpit, I speak my mind on many contemporary issues affecting the society we live in," says Okiring.

After he retired, Okiring formed a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) called Destitute Mother and Child Organisation (Demco) based in Amagoro.

He says he was inspired by Psalms 102:27: He will regard the prayer of the destitute and will not despise their supplication.

"I thought of forming an NGO that would assist the weak in society such as widows and orphans. This was the best way for me to give back to society."

Demco’s activities are mainly centred in Teso North and Teso South districts, Mt Elgon and the larger Bungoma. It helps destitute women and orphans through sustainable income generating activities and educates children from poor families.

He says he has been ensuring bright but needy children stay in school and aims to create an intellectual society as an empowerment tool.

Promoting food security

"I want to create a strong and hard working society by promoting food security in household through poultry and dairy farming and micro-entrepreneurship."

Okiring is also involved in the fight against HIV and Aids, whose prevalence rates in western Kenya is high.

"All is not smooth, however, as there are some retrogressive cultural practices that have been holding Demco back.

Poor infrastructure, bad road network, inadequate market outlets and poor health services are also drawbacks to his initiatives.

To achieve the goals of Demco, Okiring says he has been networking with various organisations here and overseas that deal with care, education and enhancement of vulnerable groups.

Demco started as a community-based organisation in 2006 with money raised by Okiring and a few well wishers.

"I transformed it into an NGO last year. Currently, I sponsor 16 students in secondary schools and 62 in primary. There are about 100 on the waiting list in need of Demco assistance," notes Okiring.

He is a former chairman of the National Council of Churches of Kenya, Western Region and currently serves on the Teso District Development Committee.

He is also a member of the District Special Programmes Steering Committee and the Constituency Aids Control Council.

Among members of the Teso community, Okiring is an opinion leader, looked upon to give guidance and direction on many issues.

A committed family man, Okiring and his wife, Beatrice, have six grown-up children. Beatrice helps him run Demco.

"My wife, a retired teacher, and I brought up the children in strict Christian doctrine. It is, therefore, no surprise that all of them are lay preachers in the ACK besides working in their own professions," says Okiring.