The African Independent Pentecostal Church (AIPCA) was dealt a major blow when three of its bishops in Meru died in a single road accident in Mwea, Kirinyaga County.
Bishop Philip Kubai of the Ntonyiri Diocese, Bishop Moses Ntoreruri of Igembe Diocese and Bishop Stanley Kalulu from Igembe Central Diocese were killed in a road accident involving their saloon car and another saloon car near the Wamumu Approved School along the main Nairobi-Meru highway.
With 10 dioceses in the larger Meru, the AIPCA lost almost a third of its bishops there who were some of the most experienced with over 10 years of service each.
The clergymen perished on the spot after Bishop Kubai's saloon car which was being driven by his chauffeur collided head on with another at the spot near Mutithi market.
The accident caused a major snarl up forcing highway traffic to be diverted to village paths in the area.
Soft spoken Bishop Kubai in his 60s was the chairman of the AIPCA’s house of bishops called the Bishops Synod and was last year briefly appointed the church’s acting archbishop during the upheaval that surrounded the exit of former church head Amos Kabuthu.
But he never really got to assume the full leadership mantle of the church as Bishop Kabuthu held on to office despite several court orders.
The accident occurred at around 7.30 pm as the bishops were headed to Meru after attending the church's Central Board Meeting at the Thika diocese cathedral.
The Central Board is one of the top AIPCA decision making organs with representatives from the Bishops Synod, the lay council and the women's guild.
AIPCA chancellor Wahome Gikonyo described the death of the three as "devastating" and "inexplicable."
"Bishop Kubai, as you can see from his election as caretaker archbishop, was the voice of reason in the church," said Gikonyo."In times of crisis, he held the church together and was a perfect father bishop who could make everyone reason together with him."
The chancellor described the other two bishops as "humble and polite clergyman" who were walking in Kubai's path.
"Whenever we had a meeting in Nairobi, the three opted to car share and usually arrived in Bishop Kubai's vehicle," he added.
Gikonyo said the church was praying for consolation of the deceased families and appealing to God to protect AIPCA from the hand of the evil.
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According to eye witnesses the bishop's car which crashed head on with another one on the busy Mwea-Makutano highway was trying to overtake a motorcyclist.
The witnesses claimed the bishop's driver on a Subaru may have underestimated the speed on the oncoming vehicle.
The driver of the other vehicle and his lone passenger also sustained serious injuries and were rushed to the nearby Karira Mission Hospital according to eyewitness Johnson Ndau.
Mwea East OCPD Kizito Mutoro said the mangled wreckage of the two vehicle had been towed to Wanguru Police Station.
Yesterday, the Mt Kenya Pastors Forum also sent their condolences to the families of their departed colleagues.
Forum chairman Bishop Daniel Njagi said special prayers for the departed clerics would be held this morning at a church in Kagumo township.
Wamumu section of the Mwea- Makutano road where the incident occurred is prone to accidents.
A year ago, an aged man and his three grand children were crashed to death by a motor vehicle at the same spot.
The children were pushing their grandfather on a wheel chair to close the highway.
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