This archive report was first published on 10 August 2019.
On Saturday, anti-riot police blocked access to the Nairobi Central SDA Church in Milimani, a move that has sparked further tensions in the church's leadership dispute.
The church, located opposite the Nairobi Area Police Station, was supposed to host its annual camp meeting, but the police presence prevented worshippers from entering.
The dispute, which began in 2015, centers around the election of leaders for the Central Kenya Conference of the SDA Church, under which the Nairobi Central Church falls.
Some delegates who attended the election in Karura, the conference headquarters, felt that the process was manipulated, leading to the registration of a rival section, the Nairobi Cosmopolitan Conference, as a splinter of the Central Kenya Conference.
As the fallout continues, members of the Cosmopolitan Conference have boycotted the Nairobi Central Church and worshipped at the Technical University of Kenya in April.
A letter circulated on Friday revealed that 15 members had been excommunicated from the church for causing chaos at previous gatherings.
