On a hot and dusty afternoon in the Kenyan military town of Gilgil, Cameroon’s only Anglican bishop has a tale to tell—one all too familiar across Africa—of suffering, resilience, and deep faith.
The Rt. Rev. Dibo Thomas-Babyngton Elango has returned to his place of refuge, a community 4,000 kilometers from his West African homeland. The Anglicans of Eastern Kenya’s Nakuru region took in Elango and his family two decades ago, when threats of violence forced them to flee for their lives.
“The apostolic marks on my face are because of the position of bishop,” Elango joked as he began a sermon on August 30. He preached at a service to welcome the Ven. Martin Kabiru as the leader of the Diocese of Nakuru’s newly established Gilgil Archdeaconry.
The marks he mentioned are the scars that remain from a 2005 physical altercation that traumatized him and his spouse, Mama Estel, prompting them to flee to Kenya as refugees.
“I survived. After a torturous visa process at the time, we were welcomed by the Diocese of Nakuru, a reception that included involvement with its Berea Christian College for Integrated Studies. I became an errand boy for Jesus,” Elango said.
Elango wove memories from his ministry at Nakuru’s Cathedral of the Good Shepherd through his sermon, while also urging congregants to commit to one another, to build a faithful mission together, to embrace one another in trials, and to look in hope to the future.
“Churches are the same everywhere, struggling with similar issues in different guises. Like in Kenya, we have difficult people in Cameroon too, used to their own ways. Like some African presidents, some of them are averse to succession planning. They own the church and will warn a new priest against introducing a fresh approach to issues. Some individuals even own pews exclusively to themselves. But God is calling us to humbly develop his church,” he said.
“When Estel and I were last in Kenya, church was one of the worst places to be, owing to ethnic divisions. Christians were turning on each other, even when they belonged to similar congregational ministries.
“Build Gilgil not only for yourselves, but also Africa. We are brothers, separated by geography. Across Africa, we share similar languages, foods, and priorities. Let us prepare to serve our God in and out of season. Where there are people to pray, there’s God to answer,” he said.
Speaking the next day at Nakuru’s cathedral, Dibo could not hide his joy.
“I’m happy to be back. When we came here in 2005-06, we had no hope for our ministry. We came to Kenya as refugees. We had been simply ordered: ‘Get out of Cameroon. Get out of this attack. Go get some refreshment. Go get some rest somewhere.’ We found ourselves in Nakuru. It was not the first choice of where we were to be sent. It came as the last option.
“When we returned home after our experience in Nakuru, we were just three priests in the Diocese of Cameroon who were qualified to be bishops. So, nobody campaigned. Nobody gave their name for consideration. Our names were simply forwarded for consideration. We had wazees (elders) in the race, who were way older than me. Estel and I thought they would be considered in my stead. My surprise election got me asking why, to which I was told by the people: ‘The three of you are evil. But you are the lesser evil.’”
Ordained a deacon in 1999 and a priest in 2000, Elango has now led the Church in the Province of West Africa’s Diocese of Cameroon for nearly 17 and a half years. Still, he says he aims to be a team player.
“I’m not the bishop; I’m just the head boy of the diocese. I work together with the other leaders. This is in large part thanks to the late Bishop Emeritus of Nakuru Diocese, Stephen Mwangi, who was our mentor and contributed greatly to removing us from our trauma. We can never forget that. We can never forget him. We can never forget Nakuru. This place is holy. It is a place of good people and prayers.”
The Elangos honored the deceased during their pastoral visit through a brief memorial service at St. Christopher’s Menengai Parish, near the cathedral, where Nakuru’s current bishop, Antony Mwaura Mambo, led them in laying wreaths and offering remembrances and prayer at Bishop Mwangi’s grave.
“Cameroon is a nation of 250 tribes. You must know at least 100 languages to speak to our people. There are some places in our country where you must start to greet from the left heading to the right. If you don’t, it means you are a stranger and you will not be accepted. The exchange of cultures between our two nations has made Estel and I grow,” Elango said.
Estel affirmed the value of Nakuru’s lessons.
“It has taught us that wherever you serve God, be kind to people, because you don’t know where you will meet them again. We never knew what the future would be. You can’t decide who a person becomes because you are not God. It has been a very big lesson. Had we treated you badly, you wouldn’t have invited us for a cup of tea or asked us to come into your homes for prayer with your families. Nakuru is our home diocese and we will always come back,” she says.
The couple will remain in Kenya after their visit for a conference of leaders of Francophone dioceses and ministries from across the Anglican Communion.
Jesse Masai is TLC’s East Africa correspondent, a longtime journalist and communications professional who has worked in South East Asia and the U.S., as well as in his native Kenya.
