Two splinter groups of African Israel Nineveh Church one led by Archbishop John Mwelesa and the other of Archbishop Amugune Chadiva will have to wait for High Court to rule on their church conflict.
The two factions moved to High Court in Kisumu to file a case over the wrangles and management of the church.
According to Mwelesa who filed the case, the splinter group led by Amugune had forged a church constitution to remove him from his position and to grab the church from his management.
Mwelesa said the group sneaked to the Registrar of Societies and registered a new church constitution without fully consulting him with other church members.
“The group wrote their own church constitution and sneaked it to the Registrar of Societies for approval and registration,” said Mwelesa.
Mwelesa added that Amugune elected his own team to manage the church affairs without involving him.
“They went on and elected their own leaders without involving me and other members,” explained Mwelesa.
He said the aim of the group is to fight how they can take over his position. He says he has agreed the splinter group to work on their own at Mbale church offices and leave him with his followers at Nineveh.
“It is good if the splinter group separates from us and do their activities at Mbale and I with my followers do ours at Nineveh,” said Mwelesa.
Chadiva group dismissed Mwelesa’s sentiments saying he is the one bringing the church down.
Chadiva explained that the major bone of contention was the church constitution which sought for election of church leaders after a certain period of service.
He accused Mwelesa for rejecting their constitution for fear of being removed from office.
He said Mwelesa had declared himself as life archbishop of the Israel Nineveh Church and he is not ready to vacate the post to others through elections.
“He fear the constitution because he has declared himself life church archbishop,” said Chadiva.
The church has been involved in ugly fights something that has prompted to closure of church headquarters at Mbale and some feeder church branches.
The case is under Justice HK Chemitei who is expected to make final ruling.
This comes barely after Attorney General had issued tough new rules against the church, which includes filing registration details afresh, aimed at reining in on rogue pastors who have been fleecing their congregations.
These rules are aimed at bringing sanity in churches and to protect the congregation from conmen posing as preachers.
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