Friends no more? The power and property wars dividing Quaker Church

Nairobi Yearly Meeting General Superitendant Rev John Davis Webere and the Deputy GS Pastor Nathan Lihanda during an interview with the Standard. [Elvis Ogina, Standard] The Friends Church (Quakers), under the Nairobi Yearly Meeting (NYM), has come under scrutiny following leadership wrangles that threaten to divide membership. At the heart of the dispute, The Standard has established, lies power struggles between the church secretariat-tasked with managing overall operations-and leaders of one of its prominent local meetings, Friends International Centre (FIC). This rift, insiders say, is rooted in a deep disagreement over autonomy, governance, and financial control. When The Standard visited FIC on Sunday, the divisions were plain to see. One group of congregants was singing and dancing outside in a tent. Another sat in the main sanctuary listening to a sermon, while a third group had locked themselves in a silent room, conducting a traditional form of worship. Each group represents a faction in the conflict: those loyal to the secretariat remained in the main church, supporters of suspended pastors held their own service in the tent, and elders who refused to be drawn into the politics retreated to silence. Where did it start? The rift dates back to a 1992 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between FIC and the NYM secretariat. The agreement allowed FIC to employ and compensate its pastors directly, as long as the secretariat participated in vetting and recruitment. Empty benches at the Friends International Centre. [Elvis Ogina, Standard] The first pastor under this arrangement served until 1997, when Agrey Mukirima took over. In 2012, Mukirima was promoted to General Superintendent, creating a vacancy at FIC. Walter Bulimu, then an employee of the secretariat, applied, and was appointed senior pastor after an interview. Over time, more pastors were added to serve various ministry needs-children, youth, women, and men. Their salaries range from Sh90,000 to Sh130,000, significantly higher than what pastors employed by the secretariat receive. This pay disparity became a key source of tension. The current secretariat, led by Rev John Davis Webere as the General Superintendent, Deputy Nathan Lihanda, and Administrative Secretary Moses Adika, has since pushed to strip local meetings like FIC of the autonomy to hire pastors, citing the need for fairness and equality among all clergy. In an interview, Rev Webere said the church must be run based on its constitution, not emotion. "A society without guiding principles breeds chaos," he said. "FIC is just one among 93 local churches under NYM, with 25 monthly meetings and 21 mission stations. Leadership at the local level must reflect the values of the whole." Some of the properties at the centre of the wrangles. [Elvis Ogina, Standard] Trouble, he says, began in 2023 when leadership nominations at FIC failed to follow constitutional procedures. The church constitution mandates that only fully paid-up, active members can hold office. Some members felt the nominations were rigged and petitioned the secretariat, whose constitutional committee investigated and dissolved the FIC leadership. A caretaker committee was installed, and a new set of leaders was nominated four months later. However, the new leaders were also accused of rebellion. When they refused to transfer six pastors back to the secretariat and pay up a doubled local budget from Sh190,000 to Sh390,000 as the conflict escalated. "We are not against pastors being under the yearly meeting," said Lawrence Andove, a congregant. "But we want to continue paying them directly as we have always done." Andove accused the secretariat of weaponising the church constitution and deploying internal spies to identify dissenters. "Thirty-five members and six pastors were issued suspension letters delivered at night. We were barred from the premises for six months." The suspended members secured a court order maintaining the status quo pending further hearing, but Andove claims the secretariat violated the ruling by enforcing the suspensions and installing new leadership. Webere insists the constitution allows the secretariat to reorganize defiant leadership and issue legitimacy certificates accordingly. Due to growing tensions, the secretariat has begun conducting meetings under police guard-something critics call a form of intimidation. A section of the prime land at the centre of the wrangles. [Elvis Ogina, Standard] "I'm not aware of any pastor suspensions," said Webere. "What I do know is that all pastors must be employed by the yearly meeting. We can't be held responsible for any not recognized by us." Deputy GS Nathan Lihanda added, "Local meetings operate under the yearly meeting. You can't have branches hiring staff without the head office's knowledge." But not all agree with this interpretation. Prof David Kikaya, a senior elder at FIC, believes the secretariat is overstepping. "Our constitution is clear: local meetings must nominate their own leaders. NYM is a coordinating body, not a ruling one," he said. "What we're witnessing is micromanagement and the erosion of grassroots legitimacy." He added that because imposed leaders are not seen as legitimate, the entire leadership structure-up to the yearly meeting-now rests on shaky ground. Benson Ongocho said the secretariat had gone to the extent of coaching pastors to target those who do not support them in their sermons. "The preaching has been weaponised," said Ongocho. Property disputes In 2015, the secretariat formed the Quaker Investment Company Limited (QICL), a third-party firm mandated to manage all church assets, including land, buildings, and businesses-assets said to be worth billions of shillings. However, members say QICL has never presented audited financials. "The concept was never properly communicated. Up to now, the company has not released any audited accounts," said Prof Kikaya. Offices of the investment company accused of managing everything. [Elvis Ogina, Standard] A particularly contentious case involves a five-acre parcel of land acquired by FIC. The secretariat attempted to transfer the title deed from the local church to QICL-a move the elders resisted. "How can we hand over this property to a leadership whose legitimacy is contested?" asked Kikaya, saying, "Nairobi Yearly Meeting, founded in 1987, is like a great-grandchild trying to seize property from its elders." Lihanda, who is also a QICL director, confirmed that assets are held by six trustees, who are constitutionally required to rotate every five years. Records seen by The Standard however show the current trustees have held the positions since 2015. A view of the main sanctuary of Friends International Centre. [Elvis Ogina, Standard] Still, Lihanda defends the company's record saying, "All property decisions have been transparent and fully implemented. Some individuals are just bitter because they can't loot church resources." Corruption claims Beyond governance and property, members accuse the secretariat of tolerating corruption and mismanagement. At Ofafa Maringo, over Sh14 million was allegedly embezzled on a stalled building project. One of the key leaders at the church claims fake architectural drawings were used to justify another Sh5 million in fees for another separate project after the school project flopped. The new proposal would have cost Sh150 million to renovate the church, but members resisted and forced a retreat from the plan. In a letter dated August 9, 2025, the chairman wrote to the secretariat pointing out several scandals including claims of members being duped to fundraise for the construction of a residential flat but the proceeds were diverted into a money market account. "We as members suggested that the church should be constructed separately from the business premises because separation will preserve the sanctity and dignity of worship spaces," the source said. Rev Webere, however, dismissed the claims saying, "We operate through management boards. Once we learned of the Ofafa issue, we disbanded the implicated board and installed a new one to investigate the matter." A view of the prime land at the centre of the wrangles. [Elvis Ogina, Standard] At Donholm Friends Church, a structure initially projected to cost Sh35 million ballooned into over Sh100 million, due to loan penalties from a church-owned Sacco. Although a section of the members blames it on poor oversight, Pastor Lihanda defended the project saying, "The building was put up by an expensive loan, but that doesn't mean there was misuse. Sometimes the cost of construction goes up." Bigger picture At its core, the crisis at the Friends Church reflects broader tensions around power, legitimacy, transparency, and identity. While the Quaker tradition emphasises equality, simplicity, and peaceful resolution to internal disputes, the current situation has seen heavy-handed leadership, court battles, and even police intervention. For the last three Sundays, the secretariat has stamped its feet at FIC and conducted church businesses under the watch of armed police officers. Those opposed to the actions have moved to court to stop the secretariat from meddling in the running of local affairs. With both sides digging in, reconciliation seems distant unless there's a return to the core values that once defined the Quaker movement.

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