This archive report was first published on 31 August 2019.
Tension at Mountain View SDA Church in Kangemi ¶
A tense standoff occurred at the Mountain View SDA Church in Kangemi, Nairobi, on August 31, 2019, as a group of worshippers affiliated with the Central Kenya Conference (CKC) disrupted a worship service.
According to reports, the group of worshippers, who were led by Pastor John Kiragu and two other pastors, arrived at the church and began to disrupt the worship service, which was being led by pastors affiliated with the Nairobi Cosmopolitan Conference.
Police officers in plain clothes were deployed to the scene to prevent a confrontation between the two groups, which have been at odds since the 2015 general elections.
The Nairobi Cosmopolitan Conference had earlier accused the Central Kenya Conference of causing divisions within the church, and the two groups have been at loggerheads ever since.
On August 9, 2019, the Central Kenya Conference had written to its members, instructing them not to welcome or recognize members of the Nairobi Cosmopolitan Conference, citing the need to maintain unity and peace within the church.
"Mnashauriwa msiwakaribishe katika tawi lolote la makanisa yetu kwa ajili tunahitaji kudumishwa kwa umoja na amani," the letter read.
