SDA pastor now claims his life in danger

SDA pastor now claims his life in danger. [Courtesy]

The wrangles at the Nairobi Central SDA Church have taken a fresh twist after the head Pastor JP Kibiisyo Maiywa claimed his life was in danger.

The pastor recorded a statement at Kilimani Police Station, alleging that a group allied to one of the factions threatened to kill him.

He told detectives that a bodyguard of a member of the group was armed with a gun while another had a knife when they accosted him within the church premises recently.

Pastor Maiywa accuses a group associated with the newly created Nairobi Cosmopolitan Conference (NCC) of being behind the threats.

Consequently, 15 members have been summoned to record a statement this morning on the death threat claim.

Yesterday Kilimani DCIO Fatma Hadi confirmed that the elders had been summoned after Pastor Maiywa made the complaint.

“We have asked those mentioned to appear and record a statement tomorrow (Friday) at the station to help in the investigations,” Ms Hadi said yesterday.

The new claims are likely to jeopardise fresh efforts by the East Kenya Union Conference (EKUC) of the SDA church to reconcile warring parties at the troubled Nairobi Central Church. 

EKUC President Samuel Makori has already met one faction while he has invited the second team for separate meetings before holding a joint meeting.

The EKUC is said to have resolved to intervene in what appears to have overwhelmed the Central Kenya Conference (CKC) that administers the church.

This is even as a section of the faithful at the Nairobi Central SDA church protested decision by the State to re-open the wrangle-ridden church.

The members said issues that have caused a conflict are yet to be resolved but the State allowed the church to re-open last Saturday just a week after closing it indefinitely.

On August 10, Nairobi Regional Commissioner Flora Mworia directed that the church be closed until such a time that warring parties reconcile.

“The church will only be re-opened for fellowship after the wrangling factions solve their differences,” Ms Mworia told journalists at her Nyayo House offices.

Two days later, through the Central Kenya Conference (CKC) of the SDA, the church accused the government of taking an illegal step to lock out worshipers.

Officials of CKC claimed that a rival faction composed of former elders is pulling strings within State security hence the closure.