The Bishop of Kitui, the Right Reverend Benjamin Paul Mwanzia Nzimbi, was yesterday elected the new Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Archbishop.
Nzimbi defeated his sole rival Bishop Joseph Otieno Wasonga after he got a two-thirds majority in the first round of the poll.
The election was held at Nairobi's All Saint's Cathedral and was presided over by the ACK Provincial Chancellor and the chairman of the Electoral College, Mr Tom Onyango.
The Archbishop-elect assumes office from Archbishop David Gitari who has reached the mandatory retirement age of 65 and officially leaves office on September 16.
Bishop Nzimbi (left) is congratulated by Bishop Wasonga after his election yesterday.
He will be enthroned at the All Saints Cathedral on September 22.
Immediately the results were announced by Onyango shortly after 2.00 pm, the Anglican faithful who were eagerly awaiting for the outcome outside the church broke into song, dance and ululation.
The breakdown of the results in the poll held through secret ballot was not released.
Nzimbi is 58 years old, while Wasonga is 48. The voting was attended by representatives from the church's 28 dioceses, which included a bishop, two representatives of the clergy and two from the laity.
"Following elections held today at the All Saint's Cathedral, Nairobi, The Right Reverend Benjamin Paul Mwanzia Nzimbi, Bishop of the Diocese of Kitui, has been elected as the fourth Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya and the Bishop of the All Saints Cathedral Diocese," announced Onyango.
In his brief address to journalists upon his election, Nzimbi said his immediate challenge is to strengthen the Anglican Church in Kenya.
"My vision is to have a strong church and a church which will be well equipped to meet the challenges of the millennium," he said.
A beaming Nzimbi said the elections were held in a calm and friendly atmosphere and expressed satisfaction with the outcome.
Wasonga on his part later told journalists: " It is the will of God and I accept the verdict." He promised to work closely with the newly elected Archbishop.
Nzimbi said his task is even more challenging in view of the impending General Election. He promised to step up civic education to enlighten voters.
He, however, declined to be drawn into the succession debate, saying that he would study the situation before commenting on the issue at a later date.
"You wait and see, let me settle down first before coming out to comment on the on-going succession debate," he said. Fate seems to have inexplicably bound the outgoing Anglican Primate Gitari and bishops Wasonga and Nzimbi, writes Samwel Rambaya.
Seven years ago, they faced the Church's electoral college and it was Gitari, then Bishop of Mount Kenya Diocese, who emerged triumphant.
Yesterday Nzimbi and Wasonga were back to the All Saints Cathedral where one of them had to be elevated one step up. It turned out to be Nzimbi.
The emergent trend is that age and experience is the overriding factor and one that firmly puts Wasonga next in line, just seven years from now.
Bishop Nzimbi is 58 years old, 10 years Wasonga's senior, and given that the mandatory retirement age of Archbishop is 65 years, wise counsel seemed to have prevailed. By choosing Nzimbi who is the Dean of the Church and the long serving bishop of Kitui Diocese, the Church has put on course a precedence. This means that age would strictly be the most determining factor in future Archbishopric elections.
However much as this criterion may be deemed unfair, it would ensure that the seat rotates between all the provinces in the shortest time possible.
It was ideally the most plausible way of ensuring that Church benefits from the gift of leadership of the two ministers.
Wasonga would be 55 years when Nzimbi retires in seven years time, and would serve for another 10 years, the average tenure of the Archbishop of the Church.