by Bishop Isaiah Deye has been elected the 7th Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church marking a new beginning for a church that has been troubled for 10 years.
Bishop Deye, who has been acting since April following the ouster of his predecessor Joseph Ntombura, won with a landslide after garnering 281 votes.
His closest competitor Bishop Catherine Mutua got 35 votes, while Bishop Bundi Miriti and Bishop Harrison Mwiti garnered 26 and 24 votes respectively.
The race for the Methodist Church top seat had attracted five candidates but Rev Samuel Kathia stepped down along the way.
Bishop Deye takes over a church that has faced intense leadership wrangles and divisions and is expected to unite the flock.
He becomes the second clergyman from the coast region to lead the Methodist Church in Kenya since it became autonomous from the Church of Britain in 1967.
Despite many Synods having embraced the removal of Rev Ntombura, some have sustained a dissenting voice with a section of Singwaya Synod leaders vowing not to support the changes.
However, many Methodists have welcomed the election of Bishop Deye saying they expect the new leader to reunite the church.
Three months ago, the presiding bishop, Rev Joseph Ntombura, was hounded out of office for violating the church’s constitution and Bishop Isaiah Deye was installed in acting capacity.
Rev Ntombura has been embattled the past one year, accused of illegally extending his term in office after the end of his 10-year term. However, he argues that the church’s conference delegates extended is term by two years to allow him complete his term as the head of the Africa Methodist Council.
The church’s senior clergy had also accused the leader of mishandling the church’s funds and investments, including church-owned operations, such as hospitals, a resort, a university and various office buildings.
Thursday’s election had attracted five contenders including Bishop Deye, Rev Catherine Mutua, Rev Justus Bundi, Rev Samuel Kathia and Rev Harrison Mwiti.
Rev Kathia is the Nairobi Synod bishop, Mwiti the Miathene Synod bishop while Rev Bundi, of Nkubu Synod, had been earlier defrocked for supporting the removal of Bishop Ntombura.
Other positions up for grabs include synod bishops, conference secretary and honorary conference treasurer.
The Methodist Church in Kenya conducts elections through a democratic process where eligible members have the opportunity to vote for their preferred candidates.
A candidate running for a position must have been a member of the church for at least three years, be actively involved in the church’s activities, and be in good standing with the church. Candidates must be nominated by a member of the church and seconded by another member. The election process involves voting by secret ballot, and the candidate with the most votes is declared the winner.
The process that involves election of delegates from local churches to the Annual Conference, which is the highest decision-making body. During the Annual Conference, the delegates elect the presiding bishop, the secretary, the treasurer and other officials.
The election results are announced and validated through a transparent process where the votes are counted in the presence of observers and representatives from different churches. The results are then announced to the conference by the presiding bishop.
Additional reporting from The Voice Daily and the Daily Nation
