When the Reformed Church of East Africa (RCEA) began its mission work in the early 1940s, the gospel was still largely confined to the white settler farms of Uasin Gishu. Led by Bwana Loubser of the Dutch Reformed Church, the mission focused primarily on Boer families, with little direct outreach to the African population living and working in the same region. That reality began to change dramatically in 1944, when a new missionary arrived—Rev. B.B. Eybers, a man with a bold vision to extend the message of Christ to Africans themselves.
The Birth of African Leadership
Rev. Eybers believed that the future of the church in East Africa depended on training Africans to lead their own people in worship and service. To realize this vision, he established a small Bible Training Centre at Plateau, near Eldoret. It was here that three young men—Herbert Tibanga, Lugumira, and Jason Wamukota—would become the first African ministers in the history of the Reformed Church of East Africa.
All three were trained teachers and fluent in Swahili, which gave them a natural bridge to communicate the gospel effectively across the diverse linguistic communities of East Africa. Tibanga and Lugumira came from Bukoba, Tanzania, where they had been members of the Kanisa la Kilutheri Tanzania (KKT)—the Lutheran Church. Wamukota, on the other hand, was from Kitale, Kenya. Their ordination marked the dawn of an African-led church within a movement that had, until then, been confined to colonial boundaries.
Rev. Herbert Tibanga: The Plateau Shepherd
Rev. Herbert Tibanga was a devoted teacher and preacher from Bukoba, whose deep Lutheran roots and disciplined spirituality shaped his ministry. After completing his training under Rev. Eybers, he was ordained and appointed to lead the Plateau Congregation, one of the three sub-congregations of the missionary church (Plateau, Eldoret, and Kitale).
At Plateau, Tibanga lived at Bwana Loubser’s Mission Station and conducted services in a simple classroom at Plateau Primary School. Despite limited resources, his ministry grew steadily, attracting both farmworkers and families who had settled in the area. His faithfulness and humility made him a beloved figure in the community.
Granted emeritus status in 1981, Tibanga retired to his home in Bukoba the following year. There, he attempted to plant an RCEA congregation but later handed it over to the Lutheran Church before his death in 1997. His story is one of perseverance, quiet strength, and lifelong devotion to God’s call across borders.
Rev. Jeremiah Lugumira: The Faithful Evangelist of Eldoret
Rev. Lugumira, also from Bukoba, Tanzania, shared similar beginnings with Tibanga. A former teacher and passionate evangelist, he became the first African minister to lead the Eldoret Congregation, one of the earliest RCEA centers in Kenya.
On January 15, 1957, he was officially posted to Mungu Nasi Church in Eldoret, taking over from Rev. Wilken De Klerk, the grandfather of South Africa’s later president F.W. De Klerk. Under Lugumira’s leadership, the church began to attract more African worshippers from nearby farms and estates, expanding beyond its settler roots. His ministry was characterized by humility, compassion, and steadfast faith.
Tragically, in 1968, Lugumira suffered a stroke that partially paralyzed him. He returned to Bukoba, where he continued to serve as a spiritual mentor until his death on November 6, 1976. The RCEA honored him with emeritus status, recognizing his foundational role in spreading the gospel in Eldoret and beyond.
Rev. Jason Wamukota: The Visionary Leader from Kitale
Rev. Jason Wamukota was the youngest and perhaps the most dynamic of the three pioneers. Born in 1926 in Kitale, he was trained as a teacher and began his career at Marinda Primary School. His encounter with Rev. Eybers and the growing Reformed mission inspired him to pursue theological studies at Bethel Bible School in Plateau, where he was ordained on June 16, 1956.
Wamukota’s ministry began at Kaptagat, Sergoit, and Plateau, before he was transferred to Kitale in 1960, exchanging posts with Rev. Tibanga. His ministry stretched across Trans-Nzoia, from Uncle Herman Keese’s farm—25 kilometers north of Kitale—to local congregations in town. A natural leader and visionary, he quickly became a mentor to emerging African pastors, including Rev. Biboko, Rev. Welime, Rev. George Makokha, Rev. Masibo, and Rev. Marauni—many of whom would later rise to senior leadership in the RCEA.
In 1963, at the dawn of Kenya’s independence, Wamukota was elected the first African Chairman of the RCEA Synod—a historic milestone that marked the full emergence of African leadership within the church. Sadly, his ministry was cut short by illness, and he passed away on October 21, 1969. His legacy, however, lives on through the pastors he mentored and the congregations he helped establish.
Legacy of the Three Pioneers
The ordination of Revs. Tibanga, Lugumira, and Wamukota symbolized a new chapter in the history of Christianity in East Africa. They embodied the transition from European missionary control to African ownership of the church—a spiritual and cultural decolonization that empowered generations to come.
Their ministries formed the foundation of what is now a vibrant, self-sustaining Reformed Church of East Africa. They preached in classrooms, under trees, and on settler farms, nurturing communities of faith that would grow into enduring congregations across Uasin Gishu, Trans-Nzoia, and beyond.
Their story is one of vision, humility, and transformation—a testimony that the gospel takes deepest root when it grows in the language, culture, and heart of its own people.
By William Kiptoo
Research and narrative adaptation based on RCEA historical records and oral testimonies.
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