The early attempts at ecumenical coorperation in East Africa : the case of the Kikuyu Conference of 1913

Abstract

Kikuyu 1913 was the first fully fledged conference on the unity of the Church in what was then British East Africa – today’s Kenya. Although there were other meetings, such as Maseno 1908, Kijabe 1909 and Nairobi 1911, the Kikuyu Conference of 1913 was the most significant, because it had the potential to abolish spheres of influence that confined the missionary societies in their various geographical zones. Characteristically, the Conference was marred by theo-doctrinal controversies. At the top of the list was the so-called Westonian controversy (Bishop Frank Weston of the Church Mission Society, Zanzibar, protested against any attempts to administer the Eucharist to non-Anglicans). Other doctrinal controversies included questions concerning the sacrament of baptism. So how successful was Kikuyu 1913 in its bid to promote ecumenical cooperation in British East Africa? Does this Conference have any real legacy? How relevant is the Kikuyu Conference of 1913 to our contemporary situation in Africa? In its methodology, this article attempts to analyse various issues in order to assess the success of this important conference in the history of the ecumenical movement in East Africa and beyond.