Kenya: Church Chronology

1960s • Nairobi, KenyaSmall groups of American expatriate Latter-day Saints met in each other’s homes.

June 8, 1978 • Salt Lake City, Utah, USAThe First Presidency announced a revelation extending the priesthood to all worthy male members.

October 21, 1979 • KenyaEbisiba and Elizaphan Osaka and their two oldest children, Margaret and Jairo, were the first Kenyans to be baptized in their country.

September 1980 • NairobiThe first senior missionaries arrived in Kenya.

1985 • KenyaThe Kenyan government had not legally recognized the Church, so Church members could only meet privately in small groups. Patrick Kapsandoy, a local member, represented the Church in attempts to register with the government.

1986 • Chyulu, KenyaA branch was organized, and meetings were held in the home of Gideon Kasue.

1983 • ChyuluThe first two native-born Kenyan missionaries, brothers Nickson and Benson Kasue, were called on missions. Nickson was assigned to serve in the Washington D.C. Mission, and Benson served in the California Los Angeles Mission.

1986–89 • Ngorika, KenyaUsing funds from a special fast held in November 1985, the Church donated US$300,000 to help Kenyans build the Ngorika Water System.

July 1989 • KenyaThe Church voluntarily withdrew senior missionaries from the country until official recognition could be received from the Kenyan government. Local member Joseph W. Sitati was set apart as the presiding elder for the Church in Kenya.

February 25, 1991 • Kenya

After 11 years of registration efforts, including a continuous weekly rotating fast undertaken by seven members in the final one-and-a-half years, the Kenyan government granted the Church legal status.

September 24, 1991 • NairobiThe Nairobi Kenya District was organized, with Joseph Sitati as president.

October 24, 1991 • NairobiElder James E. Faust of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated Kenya for the preaching of the gospel. More than 100 Church members gathered outside the Nairobi meetinghouse for the evening ceremony.

October 1991 • KenyaThe first 10 young missionaries arrived from West Africa.

February 22, 1992 • NairobiAn institute class began in the Kibera Branch, with 16 students in attendance. One year later, there were 16 seminaries and 10 institutes within the mission.

July 1992 • ChyuluChurch members, led by Julius Kasue, the Chyulu Branch president, responded to famine conditions by distributing corn and beans to Church members and their neighbors, as well as by helping establish a local welfare farming program with land, water pumps, and storage tanks.

December 15, 1992 • KenyaThe Chyulu Kenya District was created, with Julius Kauli Kasue as district president.

1993 • KenyaThe first sister missionary from Kenya, Tiatilis Mutono, began her mission.

February 1993 • KenyaThe Church provided 106,600 kilograms of food for refugees in Kenya near the border of Somalia.

August 1994 • NairobiThe first permanent meetinghouse built in East Africa was the chapel for the Langata Branch.

February 1996 • KenyaDue to numerous false accusations made by factions against the Church, the mission was given 48 hours to remove all non-native missionaries from Kenya. Thirty-six young missionaries were forced to depart, leaving only 14 young missionaries as well as senior missionary couples.

February 17, 1998 • NairobiNearly 900 members from five African nations gathered to hear Church President Gordon B. Hinckley speak when he visited Nairobi.

October 1998 • Salt Lake CityKenyan Latter-day Saints traveled to Salt Lake City to translate the temple ceremony into Swahili.

March 7, 1999 • KenyaChurch members held a special fast for the return of young foreign missionaries to the country, without restrictions. At that time, they were only allowed in the country with visitors’ visas.

February 22, 2000 • NairobiSheri L. Dew of the Relief Society General Presidency and Sharon G. Larsen of the Young Women General Presidency trained district and branch Relief Society and Young Women leaders as well as priesthood advisers.

September 2000 • Salt Lake CityThe Book of Mormon was published in Swahili.

September 9, 2001 • NairobiRobert C. Oaks and Steven E. Snow of the Africa Southeast Area Presidency created the Nairobi Kenya Stake, organized from the Nairobi Kenya District. It was the first stake in East Africa, and Joseph W. Sitati became stake president.

April 3, 2004 • AfricaJoseph Sitati was called as an Area Authority Seventy, the first from Kenya or East Africa. In 2007, he became mission president of the Nigeria Calabar Mission. In 2009, he was sustained as a General Authority Seventy.

2005 • KenyaYoung women and young men began to utilize the Perpetual Education Fund program to further their education. Over the years, hundreds of young Latter-day Saints participated.

January 4, 2009 • Salt Lake CityThe Parleys Creek Branch was created as a unit of the Salt Lake Sugar House Stake in Utah, with Amram Musungu (the first Kenyan to sing in The Tabernacle Choir) as president. The branch serves those who speak Swahili and other African dialects.

May 2010 • KenyaMembers gathered for devotionals and leadership trainings with visiting leaders Relief Society General President Julie B. Beck and Young Women General President Elaine S. Dalton.

April 24, 2011 • Eldoret, KenyaThe Eldoret Kenya District was established.

August 16, 2014 • KenyaMore than 400 Church members and friends participated in Helping Hands activities in the Mombasa and Chyulu regions. Activities included cleaning up streets, planting flowers and trees, and road grading, attracting coverage from local radio and national television outlets.

October 12, 2014 • Kilungu Hills, KenyaThe Kilungu Hills Kenya District was established.

October 25, 2015 • Mombasa, KenyaThe Mombasa Kenya District was established, with Jarvy Moses Msafiri as president.

April 2, 2017 • Salt Lake CityThe Church announced plans to build a temple in Nairobi.

February 10, 2019 • Kitale, KenyaThe Kitale Kenya District was established, with Anthony W. Matende as president. Alice Khisa Juma accepted the call to serve as district Relief Society president.

June 16, 2019 • Kisumu, KenyaThe Kisumu Kenya District was created, with Kennedy A. Okila as president.