This archive report was first published on 2 July 2020.
The Kenya Assemblies of God (KAG) Tudor bishop, Bishop Elisha Juma, has succumbed to Covid-19, leaving his family in mourning. This tragic loss comes just three months after his eldest son, Peter Juma, 35, died of the same disease in the United States on March 28.
Bishop Juma died on June 29 at Mombasa Hospital, where he had been admitted for some time due to high blood pressure and diabetes. His family was still reeling from the loss of his son, who had worked as a paramedic at St Catherine of Siena Hospital and had last visited Kenya over the Christmas period last year.
According to the family's burial committee treasurer, Mr. Justus Oyola, Bishop Juma is survived by his wife, Reverend Mary Juma, and five children, most of whom are in the US and the UK. The family is planning to raise funds to help pay funeral expenses and the hospital bill, a total of Sh2 million.
The burial will take place on July 4 at his rural home in Kabondo Kodumo, Rachuonyo, Homa Bay County. A family friend, Pastor Edward Munene of the International Christian Centre (ICC), eulogized him as a steadfast man of God.
Condolence messages filled social media platforms, with many expressing their shock and sadness at the loss of the bishop. As one of his friends, Deans Travel Managing Director Patrick Kamanga, posted on Facebook, 'This is only three months after the death of his eldest son. This is very tough for the family. Keep them in your prayers.'
