Former Meru Municipality ward representative Elias Murega has called on the embattled Methodist Church in Kenya Presiding Bishop Joseph Ntombura to step down as in a bid to end the Church wrangles.
Murega advised Rev Ntombura to resign and advocate for unity among the MCK clergy and Church members nationally.
“Presiding Bishop Rev Joseph Ntombura call it a quit and plead for unity in MCK church henceforth and you will earn respect,” Mr. Murega said on his Facebook page.
Ntombura is at the center of a controversy that has been unfolding since 2015 threatening to tear apart the denomination, with some senior clergy seeking to form independent regional conferences.
The church’s senior clergy accuse the embattled bishop of mishandling the church’s funds and investments, including church-owned operations, such as hospitals, a resort, a national university, and various office buildings.
Several MCK churches have announced their decision to cut ties with Rev Ntombura’s leadership vowing to evict any church leader or clergy supporting him.
Methodists opposed to Rev Ntombura’s leadership have accused him of illegally extending his stay in office after his 10-year term ended in August last year.
On his side, Ntombura argues that the church conference delegates extended his term by two years to enable him to complete his term as president of the Africa Methodist Council.
His reign at the Africa Methodist Council ended last week after a Ghanaian was elected to take over, renewing the push for the Rev Ntombura’s exit.
The latest to detach from the embattled bishop are Church leaders of the Kaaga Synod which comprises 15 circuits.
The Methodist Church in Kenya was established in 1862 by the British Methodist Church and made autonomous in 1967, however, according to insiders, the Church has had a fairly stable history in the country until 2015 when, two years into his term, Ntombura changed the church’s constitution and established new rules.
Paul Matumbi Muthuri, a bishop at the MCK Church says the established new rules contradicted to the Church tradition leading to poor leadership and frequent court cases.
However, defending himself in a past interview with the media Ntombura said he has been fighting corruption and that rogue clergy has been attempting to block his efforts.
Rev Ntombura further argued that when he took over a church that had no money for mission work and was relying on loans to pay office rent. He also complained the official residence of the presiding bishop had no furniture when he moved in.
