“Looking back,” Evangelist Moses Cherop says with a warm smile, “I can only thank God for the journey. I never imagined that a boy from Kimwarer would serve the church in so many ways.”
Few leaders in Kenya’s Christian history have left as wide and lasting a mark as Moses Cherop. As the first African Youth Secretary for the Reformed Church of East Africa (RCEA) (1968–1971), succeeding Rev. William Bouw, he steered the youth department during a critical transition from missionary to African leadership. Under his watch, the vision for a permanent Conference and Training Center (CTC) became reality—today’s RCEA Guest House in Eldoret. He has since gone on to shape church growth, plant congregations, and mentor generations of youth leaders. Even in formal retirement, he and his wife, Ann, remain deeply involved in planting churches in Nairobi Parish and Presbytery.
Early Life and Education
Born in 1945 in Kimwarer, Keiyo South, Elgeyo Marakwet County, Cherop grew up in a rural setting, beginning his education at Muskut Primary School in 1958 before moving to Laikipia, where he completed the Kenya Advanced Primary Education (KAPE) examination in 1964. In the same year, his family settled in Tendwo, part of the Kaptagat Settlement Scheme, former settler farmland now given to African smallholders.
“I was employed by the Kaptagat Cooperative Society,” he recalls, “but my heart was slowly being drawn into youth ministry.”
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| Moses Cherop and his wife Ann in Nairobi recently. Photo by William Kiptoo |
At Kaptagat, Cherop became active in the Reformed Church of East Africa (RCEA) youth ministry. His dedication caught the attention of Rev. William Bouw, then RCEA Youth Pastor and missionary. “Rev. Bouw was more than a mentor,” Cherop says. “He saw potential in me that I had not yet seen.”
Bouw encouraged him to join the Reformed Bible School in Eldoret (now RITT), where he completed a certificate in evangelism in 1968. He was posted to Plateau Parish while serving as Assistant Youth Secretary. In 1969, a scholarship from the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) took him to Zambia’s Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation for nine months of intensive youth and social work training—a life-changing experience.
National Youth Leadership and RCEA Growth
Returning to Kenya in 1970, Cherop was appointed National Youth Secretary, becoming the first African to hold the position. “It was exciting and daunting,” he admits. “We had no camping facilities, so we held youth camps in boarding schools. The energy was unbelievable—youth from all over Kenya learning, praying, and leading.”
That same year, a visiting Dutch youth team was so inspired by the ministry that they raised KES 480,000—far beyond their initial goal. “That gift,” Cherop recalls, “is what built the RCEA Conference and Training Center. God provided through friends we had only just met.”
Later in 1970, Cherop traveled to London for an international Boys’ Brigade training, representing RCEA alongside Boys Brigade Organization in Kenya.
Service at NCCK and National Impact
In 1972, Cherop joined the NCCK as Regional Youth Secretary for the Rift Valley, focusing on leadership and development training. In 1974, he moved to the Limuru Conference and Training Center, working with the Mindolo Foundation before being appointed Director in 1977. He briefly travelled to attend Birmingham to study Christian Education at the Westhill College of Education courtesy of the World council of churches scholarship in 1975.
By 1980, he was at NCCK’s national office, serving in the Youth Department until 1983. “It was about shaping leaders,” he reflects. “Thousands of young people passed through our programs. Some are now national leaders, pastors, and community builders.”
Church Planting and Continued Ministry
In the 1990s, as RCEA extended into Nairobi, a congregation began at Church House under Dr. Peter Bisem. Eventually, it moved to Cherop’s home on Jogoo Road—becoming the foundation for today’s Kayole RCEA Church.
After ministry years in Eldoret, he returned to Nairobi, becoming a pioneer at Kitengela RCEA Church. As Parish Secretary, he helped expand into Eastern Kenya and Maasai regions—planting churches in Nameelok, Ngelani, Kithiani, Kola, and beyond.
“At Kola,” he says, “we’ve partnered with the family of Musa Amalemba, a pioneer elder from Kapkoi Parish. We hope to plant a new congregation there soon. And just last month, we began a new RCEA church in Nakuru with Mau Narok Parish.”
Legacy and Family
Though formally retired, Cherop remains a pillar of ministry. “Ann and I still serve together,” he says with a gentle laugh. “The work of the Gospel does not retire.” His decades-long ministry spans evangelism, youth development, church planting, and institutional leadership—leaving a living legacy in the RCEA and across Kenya’s Christian landscape.
“I have seen God’s faithfulness,” Cherop concludes. “And if there is one thing I would tell the next generation—it is this: Serve where you are, and God will take you where you need to be.”
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