The Most Rev. Jackson ole Sapit was enthroned this week as the 6th Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya. On 3 July 2016 Archbishop ole Sapit was installed at a ceremony at All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi before a congregation that included the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta and Vice President, William Ruto along with church leaders from across the communion. The Dean of the ACK, the Rt Rev. Joseph Wasonga, Bishop of the Diocese of Maseno West presided over the ceremony while the Primate of Tanzania, the Most Rev. Jacob Chimeledya, preaching. Archbishop Chimeledya urged the new archbishop to hold fast to the church’s teaching on marriage and the family and to resist Western pressure to accept same-sex marriage. “You have to safeguard the Christian faith by safeguarding the orthodox Christian teachings.” He also urged the archbishop to continue to the fight against corruption launched by his predecessors. “The Anglican Church in Kenya has always been at the forefront in the fight against corruption in Kenya and has never compromised in rebuking corrupt leaders in the country,” she said, for “as a leader you cannot remain quiet because being in the top leadership of the church means you have to rebuke and correct whenever necessary.” The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Justin Welby, was among the leaders who brought greetings from their churches. He noted, however: “In the world we live in there is tribulation, and as Archbishop you will find tribulation from the world around you, and one which this country is very familiar with – suffering, terrorism, cruelty and brutality. But you’re the voice of peace and hope against such troubles, and we are of much cheer because Christ has overcome the world.”
