This archive report was first published on 21 November 2019.
Located in the heart of Kisumu, the Anglican Church of Kenya St Stephen's Cathedral has a rich history that spans over a century. The church's story begins in the colonial period when the Church Missionary Society from England visited Kenya.
Due to racial segregation and class systems during the colonial period, St Stephen's Cathedral was built for African Christian converts as a prayer ground, similar to ACK St Peter's Church, which belonged to the whites. The location of the church in Kisumu played a significant role as the city was a fast-growing administrative and commercial centre.
Building began in 1912, supervised by W. H. Wright, who later became the first minister of the church. Rev Wright led the church until 1924, when Rev Reuben Omulo took over and became its first African ordained minister. It was after Rev Omulo that the church was named 'Komulo', meaning Omulo's place in Dholuo.
Rev Omulo served both as a vicar and a headmaster, as St Stephen Cathedral would act as a school on weekdays and a church on Sundays. Every Sunday, worshippers would call for prayers by beating drums for 30 to 40 minutes before prayers.
As Kisumu rapidly grew, so did the population, and in turn, the number of worshippers at St Stephen's Cathedral on Sundays. Believers would flock the church in their thousands, and with time, the church could no longer accommodate the growing numbers, prompting expansion of the compound.
The need for St Stephen's Cathedral's expansion existed from the time it was built, but it was in 1962, through the direction of Bishop Festo Olang', then Bishop of the Diocese of Maseno, that funds were raised for the same. The expansion saw the bishop's throne and five canon stalls built, thus upgrading the church to a pro-cathedral, which Bishop Olang' dedicated on February 2, 1964.
However, the expansion was not enough, and bigger space was needed for the growing number of worshippers. In January 1985, it was agreed that there would be a new building of the cathedral in Kisumu constructed just a few metres from the old church. However, it wasn't until 1993 that construction of the new St Stephen's Cathedral began.
According to Bishop Charles Ong'injo of Maseno South Diocese, the land on which the new church building sits was initially the Kisumu Maximum Prison, which was later moved to Kodiaga. The new church building, set to be opened in August 2020, is expected to host 2,500 believers.
