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About NCCK History of NCCK
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HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES OF KENYA
Vision of the Council
One church; United in faith and mission witnessing to Jesus Christ
Mission of the Council
To facilitate the united mission of the Christian Church in Kenya, the Council shall:
- Promote fellowship and ecumenism;
- Nurture a common understanding of the Christian faith and mission;
- Build the capacities of the membership;
- Enhance the creation of a just and sustainable society.
- Uphold its corporate health, identity, heritage and sustainability.
The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) is a fellowship of protestant churches and Christian organisations registered in Kenya.
The branded word Jumuia is the Kiswahili equivalent for council or federation. It is used to remind us that the National Council of Churches of Kenya (Jumuia Ya Makanisa Ya Kenya) is an ecumenical body, a family of member churches and organisations.
The NCCK provides a forum for member churches and organisations to act on common issues, to support and sharpen each other in service and Christian witness. Through NCCK, the membership seeks to facilitate the attainment of a united, just, peaceful and sustainable society. The normal day to day work of evangelism, teaching and pastoral care is carried out by the member churches and organisations.
FORMATION AND EVOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL
The first missionary to come to Kenya was Dr Johann Ludwig Krapf in 1844. He was sent by the Church Missionary Society (CMS), and worked at Rabai, near Mombasa. Over the years, many other missionaries came and by 1900, there were many groups operating in British East Africa, as Kenya was then known. These missions worked independently but in mutually recognized spheres, often following different approaches to their work. As they met at local levels to work out modalities for their operations, the missionaries realised that the problems they faced in the field were the same, and there arose the idea of having a common front to address these issues.
Thus in 1908, a local conference was held at Maseno to deal with problems arising from an influx of missionaries in the area. A second conference held at Kijabe the same year expressed the need to"encourage the growth of what is common between the different branches of the Church of Christ."
In 1909, yet another conference was held at Kijabe. This meeting moved strongly towards unity, resolving:"That this Conference regards the development, organization and establishment of a united self-governing, self-supporting and self-extending Native Church as the ideal in our Missionary Work."
A larger and more representative conference was held in Nairobi later in the year. This conference resolved that"the orderly development, organization and establishment of a united, self supporting, and self-propagating Native Church be the chief aim of all Mission work."
A fifth conference held in 1911 in Nairobi attempted to translate these broad principles into definite actions, but faced major problems.
The aforesaid meetings set the foundation on which the United Missionary Conference was held in June 1913 at Thogoto, Kikuyu. The Conference was attended by nine missionary groups: Gospel Missionary Society (GMS), German Lutheran Mission, Friends Africa Mission (FAM), Seventh Day Adventists (SDA), Church Missionary Society (CMS), Church of Scotland Mission (CSM), United Methodist Mission (UMM), and African Inland Mission (AIM). A constitution proposing the formation of the Federation of Missions was signed by representatives from CMS, CSM, UMM and AIM. This was seen as the first step towards the formation of a united church in British East Africa, as had been witnessed in South India.
The second Missionary Conference met after the Great War in Kikuyu in 1918. In attendance were government officials and a few prominent settlers. The Federation admitted its fifth member, the British and Foreign Bible Society (today the Bible Society of Kenya). The name of the Federation changed to Alliance of Protestant Missions.
In 1924, a more representative body was created to take over the work of the Alliance, in the name and style of the Kenya Missionary Council (KMC).
In 1943, KMC changed its name to Christian Council of Kenya (CCK) so as to accommodate non-missionary organisations.
In 1966, CCK changed its name and became the National Christian Council of Kenya (NCCK) to reflect its national outlook.
In 1984, the name further changed to National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) indicating that membership of the Council was by churches and organisations and not individual Christians.
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND PUBLIC DUTY (For Wananchi)
(For Wananchi is the motto of NCCK. Wananchi is the plural for citizen in Kiswahili language)
In the year 2003, the Council celebrated 90 Years of Service. We define service as the application of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the social needs of the people (Matthew 5: 13ff).
From the outset, the members of the Council realised that Christian evangelistic work would be incomplete unless it embraced the concerns raised by the overall condition of the Africans. It was the considered opinion of the founding societies that the balance of advantage lay in acting together on public issues. The member societies therefore resolved to use this common and ecumenical instrument as the preferred vehicle for addressing these needs. In this commitment, the bone marrow of the Council has never really changed. What has changed over the years are the needs and circumstances.
For Wananchi: Laying the Foundations for Social Engagement - Some highlights
In 1913 and 1924, the issues of juvenile workers and forced labour came up respectively. At one meeting, the Council resolved "That this conference strongly deprecates the drafting of boys, not yet liable to taxation, away from their homes and would call the attention of His Excellency the Governor to the present inadequate accommodation for boys voluntarily resident in the Townships." Further it resolved that "forced labour is wasteful, that work without pay is liable to create a distaste for work altogether, and that the results are of little general practical value."
Decades before the campaign against FGM, the Council of the Alliance had passed a resolution in 1921 that "female circumcision should be definitely discouraged among all Christians and adherents".
In 1923, regarding the question of the status of Indians in Kenya, a delegation of Indians and Europeans including the Governor, Sir Edward Northey, was hosted by Mr Churchill, then Secretary of State for the Colonies. The Reverend Dr. John W. Arthur of Church of Scotland Mission, accompanied the European delegation so as to represent the views of the missionaries in Kenya on the African interests involved in the controversy.
Thus the Devonshire White Paper came into being, stating that "Primarily, Kenya is an African territory, and His Majesty's Government think it necessary definitely to record their considered opinion that the interests of the African natives must be paramount, and that if, and when, those interests and the interests of the immigrant races should conflict, the former should prevail."
Dr Arthur preceded Archbishop Leonard Beecher (CMS) as the official representative of African interests in the Legislative Council (LEGCO). Clearly the view had already began to form, a view not too dissimilar from what we know today, that the church is close to the people and is for the greater part trusted. The prophetic and pastoral work of the missionaries in public life was to be felt for decades to come. In 1944, Archbishop L. J. Beecher was to make a historic move resigning from LEGCO to pave way for the nomination of Mr. Eliud W. Mathu (the first indigenous Kenyan in LEGCO).
For Wananchi: Alliance High School
In 1926, the Alliance High School was founded in Kikuyu under the leadership of Mr G. A. Grieve of the Scotland Church Mission. Prior to this, in 1923, the first Alliance institution had been opened near Dagorreti as the rescue home for women. It was known as the Alliance Women's Industrial Home. It was closed ten years later. Preceding these two institutions was a much bigger and ambitious scheme of constructing the Alliance Missionary College, Alliance Medical Training College, Alliance Technological College and Alliance High School. With the virtual abandonment of this grand scheme, only the Alliance High School survived. For several years the school remained under the direct control of the Council of the Alliance.
For Wananchi: St Paul's Theological College
Despite the failure by the Alliance to establish the Alliance Missionary College, the dream never died, and so when in 1927 the Church Missionary Society decided to move their Divinity School from Freretown (Mombasa), they expressed a willingness to move it to the Alliance grounds at Kikuyu. The hope was that other missionary organisations would send their ministers to the college for training. This was not to be. The Divinity School was instead transferred to Limuru. Years later, in 1954, two other missionary groups, CSM and UMM, joined the CMS and the name of the school was changed to St Paul's United Theological College. Many years later, the Reformed Church of East Africa and the NCCK were to be invited as sponsoring partners of St. Paul's.
For Wananchi: Other Academic Institutions
Since the setting up of Alliance High School in 1926, the Council has participated in the education sector by establishing a number of schools. These include St Augustines Preparatory School in Mombasa in 1959, at the time, the only multiracial boarding school with facilities for both boys and girls. Equally, in response to the problems that followed the shifta wars in Northern Kenya, the NCCK established two children's homes at Garba Tula in Isiolo and Kalokol in Turkana in 1969. In 1974, the construction of Garba Tula Secondary School was completed. The school was opened by the then Minister for Finance, Mr. Mwai Kibaki. These institutions continue to provide the crucial service of giving many Kenyans a chance to receive education.
Other than these schools, the Council has over the years been involved in the Education sector through the Christian Churches Educational Association (CCEA). CCEA is involved in curriculum development for Christian Religious Education. Moreover, over the years, the member churches have sponsored many schools.
The dream by the Alliance to set up a technological college was to materialise, somewhat, when years later in 1966 the Council started the Village Polytechnic movement. The movement was formulated after the NCCK undertook an extensive research on the future of children who finished primary school, which led to the publishing of a report titled "After School What?" Under the leadership of the late Rev. Andrew Hake, Village Polytechnics offered school leavers an opportunity for training in technical fields enabling many young people set up their own businesses. The concept was adopted by the government and in 1973, the government took over the management of all Village Polytechnics.
Following this concept, in 1980, the Council started the idea of small scale industrial ventures. This gave birth to what is today referred to as the Jua Kali Sector. The Council also started Cottage Industries.
For Wananchi: The Struggle for Independence
When the state of emergency was declared in 1952, the Council expressed concern over the treatment of detainees as well as the civilian population displaced by the fighting. In 1954, the Executive Committee of the Council resolved to request for funds from the colonial government to help rehabilitate political detainees and prisoners. Council officials and representatives were to visit many detention centres collecting data. Evangelists and pastors were also posted to provide pastoral care to the prisoners in the detention camps, and their presence helped reduce the brutality that was evidenced before their arrival.
The Council was a pioneer in raising funds for emergency and reconstruction. Indeed, its first paid General Secretary, Mr. Samuel M. Morrison, came to CCK from serving the Palestinian refugees.
In 1959, the Council resolved as follows: "A sub-committee comprising the Chairman CCK, the General Secretary CCK, the Bishop of Mombasa and a lawyer should seek an interview with the Chief Secretary and express the deep concern of all church leaders and Christians represented in CCK for the fact that Emergency Regulations still in force seem to be used to deal with a situation which ought to be dealt with by civil law, and to enquire from the Chief Secretary what action, if any, is contemplated by the Government to revise the Emergency Regulations, and to relate them to the code of civil law."
Further to the rehabilitation efforts, the Council established ten community centres in Nairobi to provide skills to the former detainees and the displaced as a way of improving their livelihoods in the city. The Community Centres also provided venues for people to meet and discuss relevant issues of the day.
Through Rock, a publication that CCK started in 1957, the colonial government was urged to embrace the concept of "one man one vote". This lay the foundation for civic involvement in the elections of 1962 and subsequent elections.
For Wananchi: Preparations for Independence
As the emergency came to an end, focus changed to the future of the country. African leaders in the Council, especially Bishop Obadiah Kariuki and John C. Kamau, challenged their compatriots to rethink their positions on the role of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and other nationalists. In 1961, with the blessings of the Executive Committee, African members of the Committee sought permission from the governor to visit Kenyatta in prison. The permission was granted and the governor even offered to provide a plane for the delegation to Maralal!
The plane offer was rejected, and Bishop Obadiah Kariuki (Anglican Church), Reverends Andrew Wambari and John Mpaayei (AIM), Brigadier Jonathan Munyi (Salvation Army), and Reverends Charles Kareri and John Gatu (PCEA) travelled to Maralal in May 1961. With recommendations from the Council, Kenyatta was released three months later. It was a courageous move by the African members of CCK Executive Committee to push for Kenyatta to be invited to address an Executive Committee meeting. During this meeting, it became clear that the church was not opposed to independence and self rule (as some of the Mau Mau fighters had believed). Kenyatta on his part urged the church leaders to facilitate unity among politicians of different political persuasions.
In a move that exhibited a great level of foresight, the Council organised many seminars to prepare the general populace for independence as early as 1961. The seminars dubbed "The Kenya We Want" greatly informed the CCK's memoranda sent to the delegates attending the Lancaster Constitutional Conferences.
As they travelled to London to draft the country's constitution, the delegates were assured of prayers and support from the members of CCK, in addition to the memoranda submitted by the Council on the people's views on what the Kenyan constitution should look like. These views were contained in a document titled "Kenya's Present and the Future", an interpretation of the socioeconomic and political situation obtaining at the time.
By the attainment of independence, the CCK had started making arrangements for its own "Africanisation", especially with the election of John C. Kamau as the General Secretary in 1962.
For Wananchi: Social Participation in Independent Kenya
Soon after independence, the Council became acutely aware of the inadequacy of the facilities for the mentally ill patients at Mathare Mental Hospital. After consultations, the Council organised a major appeal for funds, and with the proceeds constructed a recreation hall and a children's ward. The two facilities were opened in 1967.
In 1984, the Council organised a massive famine relief effort, and thereby assisted hundreds of thousands of Kenyans who were affected by the drought. The Council's Emergency and Disaster response section has continued responding to many situations that are a threat to the lives of Kenyans, and through this effort many dams have been constructed and others rehabilitated especially in the drier parts of the nation.The same intervention was witnessed after the tragic bomb blased of August 1998 which occurred metres away from our offices at Church House.
After the attainment of independence, the CCK continued in its involvement in Northern Kenya. Initially, the Council had opened the door to the region by asking for permission to provide relief food to the thousands who were starving after a debilitating famine and the shifta wars. At the time, the Northern Frontier District was a closed zone, and no one was allowed to travel there. Schools in the region were only for the colonial government administrators.
It was therefore a major development when the Council establishing Rural Training Centres where they trained the local communities in best practices.
Other than the RTCs, the Council also set up a number of Growth Centres in Northern Kenya. These were integrated units comprising of a health centre, a school, and an agricultural extension / exhibition facility. The Growth Centres have been phased out over time as the conditions of the local communities changed.
Reference has already been made to the two Children's Homes and a Secondary School set up in the area.
For Wananchi: Family Life Education Programme
After independence, the country encountered new family life problems, with key focus on abortion, pre-marital pregnancies, child dumping and large families. Sex education was not integrated into the education system, and people did not understand family planning methods.
In response, the Council initiated the Family Life Education Programme (FLEP) in 1970 to facilitate a continuous family life education by both the church and the government. The programme organised courses, discussion and seminars for church leaders, school teachers, community leaders and the general public, in addition to providing training for counsellors.
Other than producing informing and training materials, FLEP developed a syllabus that was adopted by other countries in Africa for use in their Family Life Education.
For Wananchi: Involvement in Finance and Media
Over time, the Council realised that many graduates from tertiary institutions were unemployed, and those who ventured into business seemed not to have sufficient capital to grow their modest enterprises. Parallel to this was the challenge of the growing slums. What started as a mere feeding programme in Mathare Valley, giving small loans of KShs 100 to assist slum dwellers develop income generating activities to sustain their food requirements, is today a wholly owned subsidiary of NCCK known as Small and Micro Enterprise Programme (SMEP). Over the last ten years, SMEP has disbursed over KShs 4 billion to more than 700,000 clients.
Building on the success of the publication Rock, East African Venture Company, a joint venture of the Christian Council of Tanzania and NCCK was incorporated in 1964 to publish Lengo and Target in Swahili and English. Under the leadership of the first editor, the late Bishop Stanley Booth-Clibbon and Bishop Henry John Okullu after him, these publications were to make a significant impact in not only post independent Kenya but in Tanzania as well.
Today the company is a wholly owned subsidiary of NCCK, and although the publications are no longer in circulation, plans are under way to re-enter the media sector.
For Wananchi: Public Law Institute
Public Law Institute was instituted as a joint venture between the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and the National Christian Council of Kenya in 1975 concentrating mainly in public interest litigation.
For Wananchi: Political Engagement in Independent Kenya
After independence and for many years to follow, the Council worked in critical partnership with the government. However, the 1969 Kanu membership drive which involved oathing was to change all that. NCCK leaders met with the then Vice President Mr Daniel Arap Moi, and presented complaints of torture and other malpractices involved in the campaign. Soon after, the President Kenyatta ordered an end to the oathing.
A fresh alertness towards matters government began to emerge after the constitutional amendment of 1982 that made Kenya a de jure one party state. Not long after, the attempted coup took place, and with that Kenya politics began to take a nosedive. Subsequent constitutional amendment consolidating the power of the executive did not make matters any better.
In 1986, in a National Pastors' Conference organised by the Council, and held at Kenyatta University, the Council took its stand against queue voting. Two years later, the Council used its publication, Beyond, to document evidence of massive rigging and many other electoral malpractices during the 1988 General Elections. Amidst intense criticism, this activism culminated in the banning of Beyond. As a result, two of our journalists were jailed in Manyani Prison! This did little to improve the relations between the Council and the government. Indeed this general uneasiness and mistrust was to define our relationship for years to come.
For Wananchi: Multi Party Politics and Civic Education
Thus in the late 1980s, together with others, the NCCK leadership began its call for overhaul of our constitution and the need to return to multiparty democracy. In 1991, the Church and Society Committee of the NCCK changed its name to Justice, Peace and Reconcilliation Committee. This committee was charged with the responsibility of laying the groundwork for a massive campaign to educate Kenyan voters to participate in the general elections expected to be held the following year.
This was important as many people had by then realised that the 1992 elections would be held in a multi party setting, especially after the repeal of Section 2A of the constitution. The Committee was to come up with three key publications, Why You Should Vote, Towards Multi-Party Democracy in Kenya, and Multi Party Election Process in Kenya.
Later, in cooperation with the Catholic Church, the Council formed the National Ecumenical Civic Education Programme (NECEP). The Programme coordinated civic education, and was later to establish the National Elections Monitoring Unit (NEMU), which monitored the 1992 elections.
To prepare the voters for the second multi party elections, the Council in cooperation with the Catholic Church through its Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (CJPC) and the Institute for Education in Democracy (IED), organised civic education and monitoring of the 1997 elections. Prior to these elections, the Council was heavily involved in the negotiations that provided the space for Inter Party Parliamentary Group (IPPG) thus making the 1997 General Elections possible. The monitoring of these elections was a massive exercise involving 28,126 monitors around the country.
The same group, now styled as the Kenya Domestic Observation Programme (K-DOP), was expanded to include Transparency International (TI), Media Institute (MI), Hindu Council, and the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem), constituted the main local monitoring unit during the 2002 General Elections.
For Wananchi: Working for Peace
Community Peace Building and Development Project (CPBD)
The NCCK community peace building and development project was initiated as the council's response to the clashes experienced in Western Kenya with the advent of multi-party politics in 1992. This project was therefore started in 1992 as an emergency response to the suffering of the victims of clashes at the time by addressing immediate relief needs of people displaced due to ethnic violence. Afterwards, a rehabilitation component was introduced to ensure people's livelihood would be restored. Since 1995 onwards, the project started to focus on peace and reconciliation as a major condition for resettlement and rehabilitation as well as sustainable peace. The focus of this work further shifted to activities aimed at contributing to peace building in Kenya. The project has been instrumental in strengthening inter-ethnic interaction, community understanding of the conflicts, and local capacity for peace to prevent further conflicts.
As a result of the lessons and experience gained from implementing the community peace building and development project, the Council in 2000 established the National Agenda for Peace (NAP), with the mandate of investigating and addressing the underlying causes of conflict right across the country. The experience of CPBD had shown that conflicts have origins that go beyond the actual conflict zones.
Currently (2003), the NCCK peace work has been consolidated under the framework of the NCCK Peace Program (NPP) that combines the efforts which were separately undertaken by its Community Peace Building and Development (CPBD) and the National Agenda for Peace (NAP) Projects. The initial phase of the program started in January this year and will end in January 2006. It will seek to mobilise all Kenyan communities for peace advocacy, reconstruction, reconciliation and stability.
For Wananchi: The Struggle for a New Constitution
Calls for a new constitution started in the mid-1980s. Although for a long time the Council had been involved in social service delivery, it was always clear that at the very heart of sustainable public service delivery was democracy and good governance. Without a better constitution, this would not be possible. The Council therefore made a strategic choice to invest its resources in this direction. To achieve this, advocacy and capacity building were the preferred strategies.
Out of this struggle for a new constitution, the Ufungamano Initiative for Constitution Reform was born on December 15, 1999. This initiative was led by a Steering Council of the religious leaders with strong backing from the civil society and the political opposition. Out of necessity, the Initiative embarked on its own process of reviewing the Kenyan constitution leading to long negotiations with the parallel statutory body. This culminated in the merging of the two processes on March 21, 2001.
Although the composition of Ufungamano has changed with time, the Steering Committee maintains its vigilance on the review process.
(That the Council has been involved in)
- Partnering in research and fund-raising on street children in Nairobi which led to the founding of the Undugu Society
- Provision and management of water resources (Sinking boreholes, providing piped water, constructing and maintaining dams, supporting rain water catchment programmes)
- Supporting agriculture (small scale irrigation, resettlement programmes, teaching pastoralists crop farming, soil conservation efforts)
- Famine relief (restocking, provision of seeds to farmers)
- Participation in the education sector (supporting construction of classrooms in schools, sponsoring / scholarships to students, funding technological colleges)
- Supporting income generation efforts
- Provision of health care through the Community Health Centre at Huruma and other clinics around the country
- Improvement of housing through the Village Improvement Programme (VIP). In collaboration with Housing Research and Development Unit of Nairobi University, the programme developed cheap hand-operated tile vibrating machines. The development of the machines was meant to de-mystify the process of brick-making to the people, so that they realised that one could make affordable bricks locally without having to go to the big companies. The machines were not meant for sale and one a few were made by the Council for demonstration purposes. This technology enabled many people, who would otherwise have never afforded to, build brick houses
- Resettlement (the pioneering project of resettling evictees at Mji Wa Huruma became a model for the Nairobi City Council's efforts at managing slum dwellings)
- Training (establishment of Limuru Conference and Training Centre and Kanamai Conference and Holiday Centre as venues for social training, sponsoring training for clergy and lay people)
- Industrial Mission (supporting work among industrial workers, publication of"Who Controls Industry in Kenya")
- Evangelism (organising Pastors' conferences)
- Christian Music (organising music festivals, during which more than 50 African songs were recorded on tape)
- Women work
- Youth work
- Refugee work (in cooperation with UNHCR, working among refugees both in towns and in camps)
- Loans and grants to churches through Kenya Ecumenical Loans Fund (Kenya-Eclof)
The projects undertaken by the Council were a response to the prevailing situations. The projects would thus be phased out when the situation changed, or the issues were resolved. In them all, the goal remains the betterment of the lives of the Wananchi, the people of Kenya.
Over the last ten years, the Council has made bold and strategic choices aimed at re-engineering itself internally as well as repositioning itself as a player in public life.
In these efforts, the process of programme refocussing, regionalisation as well as financial sustainability have been particularly prominent.
The programme work of the Council is fully outlined in the 4th Corporate Plan (2005 - 08). The first three Corporate Plans covered the period 1996 - 2004. The current plan is based on a research conducted to identify the nature of change that has been underway for the last decade. Under this Plan, the Council will concentrate in two main areas namely, Democracy and Governance on the one hand and Social Services on the other. In Democracy and Governance, the Council will focus on a number of themes: Constitution and Legislative Reforms, Peace-building, and Promotion of Accountability, Integrity, and Ethics in public life. In the Social Services the Council will focus on Education, Health and HIV/AIDS, Food Security and Disaster Management. Our strategies in these areas will be advocacy and capacity building.
Subsequent changes effected in 2005 led to the collapsing of the two programmes into one, the Governance and Social Services, and the creation of the Capacity Building for Membership Programme. Led by a Director, the GSS coordinates the work of the Council in the six thematic areas: Constitution and Legislative Reforms, Promotion of Ethics and Accountability, Peace Building, Education, Heath and HIV/AIDS, and Food Security.
Capacity Building for Membership coordinates the work of the Council aimed at building the capacities of the membership to fulfill their own missions. The Deputy General Secretary serves as the Director for CBM.
Recognising the centrality of Theology in its work, the Council continues with deliberate efforts to mainstream theology in all it does.
In seeking to take advantage of our national presence and outreach through our membership, the Council adopted nine regions for its work, namely, Coast, Lower Eastern, Upper Eastern, Nairobi (which has a sub region that covers parts of North Eastern Kenya), Central, South Rift, North Rift, Western and Nyanza. Each regional office is staffed by a Regional Coordinator and a secretary, who are NCCK staff. Activities and programmes for the region are developed by a Regional Committee, which is made up of the membership from the ground. This has enabled the member churches to determine and implement projects and programmes at a local level, leaving the General Secretariat (head office) to coordinate and undertake national and international assignments.
The Regional Committees are informed by the District Coordinating Committees, which bring together members from a particular district.
Financial Sustainability - Jumuia Resorts
On financial sustainability and quite apart from other entrepreneurial ventures like Jumuia Place, the Council is making a determined effort to create a chain of affordable high quality resort and conference venues. These are known by the brand name Jumuia Resorts. Jumuia Resorts is currently made up of four Resorts, which are:
Jumuia Conferernce and Beach Resort, Kanamai
Jumuia Conference and Country Home, Limuru
Jumuia Guest House, Nakuru
Jumuia Guest House, Kisumu
Jumuia Conference and Beach Resort, Kanamai
In 1961, NCCK opened a Youth Camp with one building used as an office and hostel for girls at Kanamai on the Kenyan coast and named the facility Kanamai Conference and Holiday Centre. Boys were accomodated in tents.
After independence in 1963, Kanamai continued being a popular destination for youth who were retreating at the coast. The facilities were later renovated by the Council and additional dormitory blocks were built in 1969. Additional renovations were undertaken in 1988.
In 2006 - 2007, extensive revonations and redevelopoments were undertaken at the facility.
Facilities Available:
Conference Rooms: 2 with a seating capacity of 350
Guest Rooms: 72
Total Bed Occupancy: 181
Swimming Pool: 1 Olympic Size pool, 1 Children's pool
Beach Frontage: 300 metres clean private beach frontage
Jumuia Conference and Country Home, Limuru
Formerly known as Limuru Conference and Training Centre, this facility was opened in 1954 as a centre for Christian Leadership training and venue for meetings. Over time, it proved to be the preferred venue for imporant reconciliatory meetings between various civil and political as well as religious leaders. For example, it was here that Mzee Jomo Kenyatta first addressed the Executive Committee of the NCCK after his release from prison.
Major renovations were done in 2003 - 2004 to upgrade the facility and an official opening was done in July 2006 His Excellency President Mwai Kibaki.
Facilities Available:
Conference Rooms: 6 with a seating capacity of 500
Guest Rooms: 120
Total Bed Occupancy: 180
Jumuia Guest House, Nakuru
The Guest House was established in 1972 under the name Nakuru Community Centre.
After major renovations, it was re-dedicated in 2003 as part of the celebrations to mark 90 years of service to the nation by the Council.
Facilities Available:
Conference Rooms: 2 with a seating capacity of 350
Guest Rooms: 59
Total Bed Occupancy: 174
Jumuia Guest House, Kisumu
Opened in 1943, this facility over the decades provided a venue for fellowships and community service. It operated under the name Christian Fellowship Centre.
A redevelopoment of the facility began in August 2006 and involved demolition of the old centre and construction of a modern guest house. Jumuia Guest House, Kisumu, was officially opened in September 2008.
Facilities Available:
Conference Rooms: 4 with a seating capacity of 500
Guest Rooms: 65
Total Bed Occupancy:
Swimming Pool: 1 Olympic Size pool
The supreme body in NCCK is the General Assembly (GA), which meets once every two years. The GA has its Executive Committee which meets twice a year. The Executive Committee has its two sub-committees, namely, the Programme Committee, and the Finance and Administration Committee. These committees meet regularly throughout the year, and work closely with the management. The day to day management of the Council is the responsibility of management under the leadership of the General Secretary who is also the Chief Executive Officer of the Council.
Currently, NCCK has 27 member churches, 11 Associate Members and 6 Fraternal Associate Members. These are:
A. Full Members
African Independent Pentecostal Church of Africa
African Interior Church
African Nineveh Church
Anglican Church of Kenya
Church of Africa Sinai Mission
Coptic Orthodox Church
Episcopal Church of Africa
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kenya
Friends Church in Kenya
Full Gospel Church of Kenya
Kenya Assemblies of God
Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church
Kenya Mennonite Church
Lyahuka Church of East Africa
Maranatha Faith Assemblies
Methodist Church in Kenya
National Independent Church of Africa
Overcoming Faith Centre Church of Kenya
Pentecostal Evangelistic Fellowship of Africa
Presbyterian Church of East Africa
Reformed Church of East Africa
Salvation Army
Scriptural Holiness Mission
Zion Harvest Mission
B. Associate Members
Bible Society of Kenya
Christian Churches Education Association
Christian Health Association of Kenya
Kenya United Independent Churches
Kenya Ecumenical Church Loan Fund
Kenya Students Christian Fellowship
St Paul's University
Young Women's Christian Association
Young Men's Christian Association
C. Fraternal Members
African Evangelistic Enterprise
Daystar University
Fellowship of Christian Unions (FOCUS)
Trans World Radio
Trinity Fellowship
World Vision
| Chairperson | Rev Canon Rosemary Mbogo |
| Vice Chairman | Archbishop Timothy Ndambuki |
| Honorary Treasurer | Mr Kibuga Kinyua Kariithi |
| General Secretary | Rev Canon Peter Karanja Mwangi |
| Deputy General Secretary | Mr Oliver Kisaka Simiyu |
| Chairman, Finance and Administration Committee | Peter Mukulu |
| Chairman, Programme Committee | Rev Dr Julius Karanja |
| General Secretary | Rev Canon Peter Karanja Mwangi |
| Deputy General Secretary | Mr Oliver Kisaka Simiyu |
| Director, Prorammes | Ms Susie Ibutu |
| Head of Human Resource | Ms Susie Ibutu (Acting) |
| Operations Manager, Resorts | James Gituanja |
| Manager, Finance | Mary Wanjiku |
