Court now stops committee from taking over Methodist leadership

Kenya's Methodist Church head Bishop, Joseph Ntombura. [Edward Kiplimo, Standard]

A few days after agreeing to step down as head of the Methodist Church, Bishop Joseph Ntombura has made a U-turn and stopped the new leadership from taking over.

Bishop Ntombura moved to court and obtained orders restraining the new transitional committee led by Fredrick Kimathi Muriungi from taking over the church's leadership over claims that they illegally attempted to oust him.

"An order is hereby issued restraining the respondents calling themselves the transition connexional ad-hoc committee and their associates from usurping roles of the bishop pending hearing of the application," ruled Justice Asenath Ongeri.

Ntombura, in his urgent application filed through lawyer Dunstan Omari, argued that the team led by Muriungi had illegally stormed the church and formed the Transition Connexional Ad-Hoc Committee with intention to illegally remove the presiding bishop from office.

Bishop Ntombura had said he will step down as the church's head after 10 troubled years at the helm.

However, he now claims in his petition that the splinter group held a meeting on March 29 which has paralysed the church and stopped him from performing his functions.

"The group led by Muriungi have for the past few days issued threats portraying rivalry between themselves and the presiding bishop who is the lawful leader of the Methodist Church in Kenya," said Omari.

He argued that the splinter group mobilised and incited the church members who showed up at the church's headquarters on March 29 with intention to overthrow Ntombura and take over the church.

He claimed the team led by Muriungi are planning to carry out election of a new bishop during the Easter holiday without following the church's constitution and which will aggravate the already bad blood among some church members.

Ntombura in his affidavit maintained that the church's synod legally extended his tenure in August 2022 for a further two years after his term expired and that he has no intention of stepping down until the extension expires in 2024.

He also defended the decision to suspect the election of a new presiding bishop, stating that the current state of affairs in the church cannot allow the process to proceed smoothly. Bishop Ntombura claimed that the decision to remove him was by a few trouble makers who have opposed his leadership from the time he took over in 2012.

Justice Angote directed Muriungi and the church's Transition Committee to respond to the suit before the hearing on May 9.