PCEA kicks out David Githii after Nairobian expose

                              David Githii                              Photo: Courtesy

The Presbyterian Church of East Africa has defrocked controversial clergyman Reverend David Githii.

In a statement to the media on April 3, the current leader of the church Reverend David Gathanju said PCEA had accepted Githii’s resignation and his wish to server ties with the church.

Rev Gathanju further said Githii will no longer be referred by his honorary title, ‘reverend’, and will return his ministerial attire to the church.

Githii, who was PCEA’s Moderator between 2003 and 2009, had exclusively revealed to The Nairobian that he had decided to cut ties with the church.

But in his response at the time, Rev Gathanju had said the church could not accept his resignation until Githii formally informed his mother church of Kajiado Presbytery and PCEA’s secretariat approves it.

During the meeting with journalists on April 3, Rev Gathanju — the official spokesman of the church — said the Kajiado Presbytery had defrocked him as per the procedures of the church.

He said Githii had sent a letter to the Kajiado church renouncing his membership.

When he spoke to The Nairobian on March 21, Githii had claimed PCEA had failed to deal with devil worship and homosexuality in the church. But in its latest response, the church, through Rev Gathanju, dismissed the claims as unfounded.

The Moderator said the church does not condone sin and the leadership has always been firm on its members who go against the Christian standards of life. 

“We believe in a sovereign God who is true that is Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. We denounce all forms of sins which include, but not limited to homosexuality and lesbianism and devil worship,” Rev Gathanju said.

He said while in office between 2003 and 2009, Githii would informally raise issues that were deemed his personal opinion.

The reverend said the issues raised by Githii such as homosexuality and devil worship, were not discussed and a policy agreed on by the church’s leadership as procedure requires. 

Gathanju said his predecessor was never bold enough to formally let his views be discussed by others in the church.

“Dr Githii, informally had personal problems with some names within some church circles and in the society.  This was again his personal opinion and lacked biblical or theological basis. No formal discussion ever took place on the subject and therefore no resolution was ever made. After all, these names existed long before the said churches were established. The church keeps records and minutes of its deliberations and we have no evidence of such deliberation during his moderatorship,” said Gathanju.

Githii had told The Nairobian that he had been vocal about the names of some PCEA churches.

Such names, he said, are in deification of sinful past or spirits of the dead or the living against the will of God.

“What do you make of a church by the name, ‘PCEA Kiangoma Church’ (in Nyeri)?. The name of the place represent Satan,” he said. Kiangoma in Kikuyu means ‘the devil’.

 PCEA — which has about 4 million members in East Africa — has been in existence for over 123 years. The church was originally started in Kibwezi in 1891.