From a Rented Room to a Consecrated House of God: The Story of ACK St. Anne’s Parish, Mwiki
“This is the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes.” — Psalm 118:23
On Sunday, 19th July 2026, the Rt. Rev. Jonathan Kabiru, Diocesan Bishop of Nairobi, consecrated ACK St. Anne’s Parish, Mwiki — setting apart, for the exclusive worship of God, a building whose story spans four decades of faith, setbacks, and stubborn hope. This is that story.
A Vision Born in Dandora (1985)
The journey began on 19th February 1985, not in a cathedral but in a rented room near Mulima Stage — a room that doubled as a nursery school for the surrounding village. A handful of faithful members from St. Monica Dandora, among them Mr. Naftaly Mureithi, the late Mzee Ojwang’, the late Mr. Peter Kimani, and the late Mrs. Esther Wambui Mbugua, had looked at the growing Anglican community in Mwiki and seen a need: there was no church nearby to serve them. Their desire to win souls for Christ, as the Bishop would later put it, was greater than their thirst for a big structure.
Under the oversight of the late Lay Reader Stanley Sibo, the small prayer cell grew to about twenty members and was recognized by the diocese as a Preaching Point. Established under St. Monica Dandora, with the late Rev. Bernard Mwania serving as area Dean, the fellowship was first known simply as the Quarry Church, before taking the name St. Anne’s Community Centre in 1986 — named for St. Anne, mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to reflect the call to raise a godly generation. The devoted members went from village to village across Mwiki inviting new worshippers, and the congregation swelled to around 300.
Land, a Foundation Stone, and Parish Status
Through the efforts of the late Rev. Stephen Njenga and a small band of registered members, the church acquired two plots in Mutirithia Farm — the very ground on which the church stands today — purchased at Kshs. 120,000 each through harambees and communal effort, with Mr. Naftaly Mureithi serving as Church Vice-Chair. Over the years the church would grow its holdings to seven plots: two more for the Sunday school at 2.5 million shillings each, one in Karura where the Vicarage stands, and two in Samaria Fellowship.
On 6th November 1988, the late Archbishop Manasses Kuria laid the first church foundation stone, and the late Rev. Mwania initiated and managed construction of the church hall — the first of many building seasons. Then, in January 1990, St. Anne’s Mwiki attained full parish status, becoming autonomous from St. Monica Dandora, with the late Rev. Stephen Njenga as its first resident vicar. He served until 1993, in that time facilitating the purchase of the Vicarage plot in 1991 and building the Vicarage itself in 1992.
Building Through the Storms (1988–2009)
The construction years tested the congregation sorely. Funding was often delayed, material costs kept rising, and rainy seasons repeatedly slowed the work. Yet through prayer and collective effort, each obstacle became an opportunity for the congregation to trust God and support one another.
The trials were not only financial. The church’s first structure sank due to unstable ground, and the congregation — refusing to lose hope — moved into a mabati structure while they worked to raise another building. Rev. Menasse Ngugi, who succeeded Rev. Njenga and served from 1994 to 2002, drove the rebuilding effort through harambees that raised Kshs. 350,000, and in his tenure the church planted its daughter congregation, Good Samaritan Ciiko.
Then came 2004, a year of double testing. During the tenure of Rev. Wycliffe Mugweru (2003–2004), who had continued construction of the basement hall, the church structure developed cracks from ground subsidence. For safety, the congregation migrated to rented premises — the plots that today house the Sunday school — where worship continued without interruption. The church consulted six engineers, among them Structural Engineer Mugo and Engineer Mung’oo, who drew the church plan, guided proper soil excavation, and laid the very firm foundation of the present church. Later that same year, on the night before a confirmation service, heavy rains flooded the church and made the hall unsafe. That very morning the fellowship moved back to the Sunday School hall, where the confirmation was celebrated regardless. Rather than break the congregation, these seasons hardened its resolve to build a permanent, safe house of worship.
The breakthrough came under Ven. Canon John Maina, who in 2004 finished construction of the upper church — the current sanctuary — and led the congregation’s permanent move from the rented premises back into the completed building. The movement was so momentous it was christened “The Exodus.” He also oversaw the purchase of the church pews.
Growth, Water, and the Nickname “Kanisa La Maji”
The years that followed brought steady development under a succession of shepherds. Rev. Frederick Kibaki (2010–2011) oversaw the church’s continued growth. Rev. Francis Mwangi, from 2012, initiated negotiations for the purchase of the two Sunday school plots and the two Samaria Fellowship plots, began construction of the perimeter wall, launched the “journey of faith” that raised funds for repainting the church, and — together with the Mothers Union — started a nursery school at the Sunday School Hall and a porridge programme for Sunday school children, spearheaded by Mrs. Cecelia Kinyanjui. It was also in his time that a 5-year Strategic Plan was launched to deal with a stubborn problem: water in the basement hall.
Rev. Catherine Njogu (2016–2017) facilitated the collection of funds to purchase the two Sunday school plots and reorganized the Sunday school by age groups. Her tenure was marked by remarkable generosity: Mr. Ernest Mbugua and family together with the late Dishon Gitau and family selflessly offered to secure a loan of Kshs. 5 million to buy the plots, while Mr. Mwaniki (Baba Tom) arranged the lending of construction iron bars from his employer in Industrial Area — a debt cleared within six months.
Rev. Paul Kariuki (2017–2018) brought peace and unity, resolving a number of internal issues, modifying the church wall and erecting a modern gate. Then Rev. Captain Daniel Mulwa (2018–2020) led the parish through the COVID-19 pandemic, pioneering online services and reviving the early morning Holy Communion service. He is remembered for what the congregation calls a miracle: finally removing the water that had plagued the basement for about a decade — so persistently that the church had earned the nickname “Kanisa La Maji,” the church of water.
Rev. Canon David Gichore (2020–2024) rebuilt and tiled the basement hall, installed a solar pump, rebuilt the ablution blocks with consideration for persons with disabilities, rehabilitated the altar, expanded the vestry, put up a modern kitchen, and built the new Vicar’s, Curate’s and Secretary’s offices upstairs. He dreamt of a Teens Hall for the church, introduced fourteen clusters as a framework for project fundraising, and initiated the home blessing mission. Rev. Joseph Wanjohi (January–March 2024) supported the Mothers Union in beautifying the sanctuary with altar cloths, chairs, carpet and hospitality tables, before Rev. Canon Festus Madere (April 2024–August 2025) launched “the Canons Project” to raise 2.5 million shillings in ninety days for the Teens Hall, oversaw the fixing of altar rails as a project of the men of the church, and saw a new outdoor shade erected by the Mothers Union.
A New Nehemiah and the Road to Consecration
On 1st August 2025, the church ushered in Rev. Canon Robhai Abutika, who came, in the congregation’s words, as a New Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of St. Anne’s Mwiki. She found a parish with a rich heritage — and a financial crisis: diocesan allocation arrears dating back to 2017, staff unpaid for three months, and church plots without title deeds.
Her response was swift. She formed a group of committed members, men and women christened the Gideonites, who together with the Parish Church Council raised funds for immediate needs and resolved the crisis. She initiated the midweek service, revived the early morning Sunday Communion, revitalized mission and evangelism, and put in place modern financial and administrative systems. Above all, she launched the 20 Million Challenge — a mega project whose funds have completed the ultra-modern, 200-seat Teens Hall with gypsum ceiling, modern electronics and lighting; paid for the acquisition and processing of title documents for six church plots; advanced the Administrative Block; and financed the consecration itself.
Alongside her curate, Rev. Jackson Waraga, the Church Executive, the PCC, the lay readers, and the entire congregation, she led the parish to the day generations had prayed for. As she put it, quoting 1 Corinthians 3:6: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.”
The Fruit of Faithfulness
Today, St. Anne’s Mwiki is mother to three daughter churches — ACK Holy Innocent Ruai, ACK St. Francis Karura, and ACK Good Samaritan Ciiko — which together have grown to over 1,000 members. What began in a rented nursery classroom, endured a sinking building, cracks, floods, a decade of basement water, and seasons of financial strain, now stands consecrated: no longer just a meeting hall, but as the Bishop declared, a refuge for the broken, a lighthouse for the lost, and holy ground where heaven and earth meet.
The Lord has indeed seen the church through every season of lack and waiting (Exodus 3:7), and today tells St. Anne’s Mwiki: “You have stayed long enough — break camp and advance” (Deuteronomy 1:6-7).
To God alone be the glory for the great things He has done.
