The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kenya

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kenya
Membership	14,591 (2019)[1]
Stakes	2
Districts	6
Wards	13
Branches	41
Total Congregations	54
Missions	1
Temples	1 Announced
Family History Centers	5[2]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kenya refers to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in Kenya. In 1981, two small congregations were created in Kenya (Nairobi and Kiboko). In 2019, there were 14,591 members in 54 congregations. On April 2, 2017, church president Thomas S. Monson announced that a temple would be built in Nairobi.^[3]

History[]

English

Swahili

The Book of Mormon in languages spoken in Kenya. The Kisii (Gusii) translation, which only selections have been translated, is not pictured.

The first Kenyans baptized into the LDS Church in Kenya were the family of Elizaphan and Ebisiba Osaka, who were baptized in 1979. The first LDS missionaries began serving in Kenya in 1980. There was only one LDS missionary couple from then until 1989, when the couple was withdrawn. Joseph W. Sitati, who joined the LDS Church along with his family in 1985, was designated the lead elder of the church in Kenya at that point. In February 1991, he met with Daniel arap Moi, president of Kenya. Later that month the attorney general of Kenya gave Sitati and a few other church leaders a form signifying the church was officially recognized.

In July 1991, the Kenya Nairobi Mission was organized, with Larry King Brown as president. The first LDS meeting house was completed in Nairobi in 1994. In 2001 a stake was organized, with Sitati called as president. Sitati later became the first general authority from Kenya.^[4]

In 2020, the mission headquartered in Nairobi mission was split in half. This primarily involved Tanzania becoming a new mission, but with Mombasa was also placed under the new Tanzania Dar es Salaam Mission. In August 2020, the church organized the new Africa Central Area with its headquarters in Nairobi and with Sitati as its president. The new area oversees the church in about 16 countries, although a few of those have no organized church presence.^{[citation needed]}

Stake and districts[]

As of July 2021, the following Stakes and Districts were located in Kenya:^[5]

• Chyulu Kenya District
• Eldoret Kenya District
• Kilungu Hills Kenya District
• Kisumu Kenya District
• Kitale Kenya District
• Mombasa Kenya District
• Nairobi Kenya East Stake
• Nairobi Kenya West Stake

Mission[]

• Kenya Nairobi Mission

Temples[]

On April 2, 2017, Thomas S. Monson announced the intent to construct the Nairobi Kenya Temple in the church's general conference.

See also[]

• Religion in Kenya

References[]

External links[]

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Africa South Area
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Official site
• Nairobi Kenya Temple at ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org

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