NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 1 –The Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) is seeking government’s approval to erect a chapel and monument in honour of church missionary John Ludwig Krapf.
Speaking during an anniversary service at All Saints Cathedral, Nairobi as the church celebrated 50 years since it became a Province in 1970, ACK Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit said the establishment of a commemorative chapel will serve as a reminder of the journey of Christianity in the country, Krapf having played a pivotal role in establishing the first mission station in Rabai.
“We want to erect a monument to remind us of the first journey of Ludwig Krapf where he met fishermen who introduced him to the village elders who led him to establish the church,” said Sapit.
Upon approval, Sapit said that the church will partner with the relevant authorities to gather the resources required for the construction of the chapel.
“We will be more than willing to team up with the ministry and join our resources to erect the monument which will remind us of our history because it is important to keep important histories of our beginning,” he added.
John Ludwig Krapf, was a German missionary whose work in East Africa is traced back to 1844.
He moved to Rabai where he started established the first church.
Krapf was later joined by Johannes Rebmann, who also served as a missionary under the Church Missionary Society in 1846, when the construction of the very first Christian church in Kenya started in Rabai, and was later completed in 1848.
Other amenities were soon after constructed around the church compound, including a school, a clinic and space for freed slaves.
Since then, Rabai has been known as the place where Christianity and modern learning in Kenya began over 150 years ago.
The fiftieth anniversary service was attended by President Uhuru Kenyatta and a host of Anglican leaders in the country, the region and the continent.
