PAG church to hold elections after six years of leadership wrangles

A section of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God faithful in Narok after being locked out of the church over leadership wrangles. [File, Standard The Pentecostal Assemblies of God (PAG) Church will hold elections after the Election Committee rescinded an earlier decision to withdraw from the October 1 polls. Earlier, the Electoral Committee chaired by Christ Is The Answer Ministry (Citam) Presiding Bishop Calisto Odede announced that it had pulled out of elections over frustrations from unnamed individuals. PAG faithful across the country are hopeful of an end to the leadership wrangles. The church has been in court for six years over the leadership wrangles and on July 11, 2024, Vihiga Law Courts ordered the church to conduct elections within 60 days as per their constitution of 1998. This elections will be overseen by the Registrar of Societies and as per the PAG by Laws, an Electoral Committee chaired by a Senior (Nairobi Pentecostal Church) Citam clergy was mandated to organise and conduct the elections in consultation with the Executive Committee. Justice Jacqueline Nancy Kamau's ruling was meant to end the six year wait for more than 4000 churches to have legally recognised office bearers including the General Superintendent (Bishop). The Judge also ordered the church to amend its constitution in 120 days to among other issues allow women to vie for top leadership in accordance with the Constitution principles of equality and non-discrimination. However, through a letter dated September 20, CITAM Presiding Bishop Odede who chaired the nomination process held on August 30, announced that his church will no longer participate in the final election slated for October 1. This is even after Bishop Odede, in the presence of Registrar of Societies, oversaw successful nomination of three candidates from over 10 others to contest in the final election. The bishop in a letter to the candidates and the Registrar of Societies Goretti Nyariki said that it is difficult for the Electoral Committee to conduct elections as mandated citing interference with their planning and execution. This temporarily slammed breaks on the elections. Five days later, on September 25, Odede announced that his church had rescinded the decision and will head the election process. The Citam Presiding Bishop said they had agreed to run the election following an apology from individuals who were allegedly frustrating the process. "This is to express gratitude and appreciation for the mature and responsible way in which PAG Council acted and I truly acknowledge and accept their apology in the letter dated 23 September, 2024," said Bishop Odede. The election will now go on as planned at the Church's headquarters in Nyang'ori, Vihiga county. "Further to this, I take note of your letter of September 24, requesting Citam to reconsider its earlier decision to withdraw from the elections. We have considered this and would like to inform you that Citam has rescinded that earlier decision and as per the PAG by-laws, Citam will appoint a senior clergyman to chair the Electoral Committee that will facilitate the elections," said Odede. With the announcement the elections will take place on 1 October 2024. In the previous letter, Citam's senior clergy had said together with their staff they were subjected to threats and intimidation from unnamed individuals who had vested interests in the PAG-K church election. "Attempts to fulfil his (Bishop Odede) constitutional mandate has led to conflicts as he resisted the aforesaid interference. He has been subjected to phone calls, text messages and letters which are directly opposing the work assigned, including some persons maligning, intimidating and even threatening him," read the letter in part dated September 20. In spite of challenges, the Electoral Committee had conducted the nominations but were unable to proceed with elections of the nominated officials due to lapse of legally announced timeline of midnight August 30. During last month's General Superintendent nominations, the PAG Church Kawangware District Overseer Kenneth Adiara emerged winner after garnering 1,670 votes, against Dr Christopher Kilasi's 1,288.The incumbent General Superintendent, Dr Patrick Lihanda got 1,040 votes. The three will face off on Tuesday when over 4000 delegates comprising of pastors and district overseers will vote in the elections. The Registrar of Societies as the court representative was allowed in case of the lapse of the 60 days before the elections were held an additional 30 days for the polls to be conducted. Leadership wrangles in the church date back to 2015 but escalated in 2018 and 2019 following disagreements over the election of the General Superintendent and officials in over 128 church districts across the country.

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