This archive report was first published on 17 August 2019.
Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church in Kenya has been embroiled in controversy, with some commentators attributing it to tribalism and corruption.
However, a section of the church's believers are now questioning the caliber of pastors who make it to their pulpits.
Some have raised concerns about the qualifications of pastors, with one member asking, 'Did they join the ministry as a calling or because SDA is an equal opportunity employer?'
Joshua Square, a member of Nyabimwa SDA church in Bonchari constituency, expressed his concerns, stating that 'the preaching itself is tilted with an emphasis on tithes and offerings.'
He also pointed out that the church's youth have been attending theology schools, but some pastors have risen through the ranks without formal education.
Evangelist Joyce Mwango, for instance, did not attend any theology school yet she has been ministering in the South Kenya Conference.
She defended her approach, saying, 'It is always about letting the word sink and touch the hearts of God's children.'
According to a source in the Kenya Lake Conference, graduate pastors are paid by respective conferences, but the salaries are determined by how much believers in a pastor's territory are able to collect and deliver to the headquarters.
Concerns have also been raised about the church's title deeds, with some donors questioning how their land has ended up in the hands of the church's headquarters.
Mr Isaiah Ondari, the first elder at Nyabimwa SDA, donated land in the 90s, but the title deed was later taken to Nyanchwa, where it remains.
His grandson, Joshua Square, posed the question, 'What if it turns out that somebody used the title deed as collateral to acquire loans from banks? Should we, the donors, revoke the generosity?'
Another issue has been the handling of funds by the church's officials, with some members complaining about the misuse of Sh3.3 million raised for the International Pathfinders Camporee in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA.
The SKC president, pastor Julius Bichang'a, dismissed the concerns, stating that 'God's issues are not put in the media' and that 'there will always be issues before Jesus comes.'
At Gendia in Homa Bay County, where the First SDA church was established in 1906, there are concerns about the church's sponsored projects, including the Gendia Adventist Mission Hospital and Gendia High School.
Patients and students have complained about corruption and the lack of subsidy or waiver for their services.
