The Provost of All Saints’ Cathedral in Nairobi, Canon Dr Sammy Wainaina, has been appointed as the Advisor for Anglican Communion Affairs for the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. Dr Wainaina will take up his new post in May.
The Archbishop’s Advisor for Anglican Communion Affairs leads a small team at Lambeth Palace responsible for supporting and advising the Archbishop of Canterbury in his role in the Anglican Communion. The Advisor and his team is also responsible for coordinating the Archbishop’s visits within the Anglican Communion, and managing correspondence from and about the Anglican Communion that comes to the Archbishop.
The team is the Church of England’s link with the provinces of the Anglican Communion. The Anglican Communion team at Lambeth Palace is not part of the Anglican Communion Office (ACO), but Dr Wainaina will be a regular visitor to the ACO as staff there support all four Instruments of Communion.
Dr Wainaina succeeds Bishop Anthony Poggo, who became Secretary General of the Anglican Communion in September last year.
Provost Sammy was ordained in 1996 in Nakuru Diocese of Kenya where he grew up. He has served as vicar, Archdeacon, Assistant Provost and has been Provost of All Saints’ Cathedral since December 2013. He is married to Beatrice, and they have three children.
“I am delighted to be appointed as the Advisor for Anglican Communion Affairs”, Dr Wainaina said. “This is both an opportunity and a challenge that I take with grace and courage. It is my hope that my experience in serving the Church of Kenya, especially the All Saints’ Cathedral, Nairobi, will contribute positively to the Anglican Communion. I thank Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit for his trust and blessing.”
Archbishop Justin Welby said: “Provost Sammy has been a dedicated and faithful priest for many years, and a creative and evangelistic Provost of All Saints’ Cathedral in Kenya. I’m grateful that he will be joining the diverse team at Lambeth Palace, supporting us in our ministry to and with the global Anglican Communion. His ministry in parish and cathedral life, combined with his experience across different Anglican traditions, will be a valuable contribution to the senior team at Lambeth.”
All Saints’ Cathedral in Nairobi is the seat of the Primate of the Anglican Church of Kenya, Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit. The Cathedral’s leadership team praised Dr Wainaina’s ministry, saying that he “leaves behind a solid foundation of ministry and an enviable legacy. This is evidenced by his how he creatively steered the Cathedral through different phases of growth during his 13 years of service as seen in our robust pulpit ministry, steadfast discipleship, bold prophetic ministry, solid operational structures as well as our recent expansive physical development.”
They said: “We are very proud of the Provost for this opportunity to serve the global church after his selfless and dedicated service here at All Saints’ Cathedral.”
