However, the officials , Stephen Quinlan, who was the lead prosecutor during the sex abuse trial against Dr. Karimi held last fall in Bedford, NH, together with another official of the Presbyterian church USA were dismayed when they were asked to leave the church compound or be charged with trespass when they attempted to deliver the orders.
Speaking to an Ajabu Africa reporter who coincidentally happened to be at the scene on a different business, the officials said that they came to the church to challenge Dr. Karimi’s recent return to the church against orders issued by the Presbytery of Northern New England after he was found guilty of 3 counts of sexually abusing a member of his congregation, who was a young girl at the time.
“We came today to challenge the contention by Dr. Karimi that he is still the pastor of PCEA Ushindi church,” said Stephen Quinlan. However, Karimi and members of the session refused to receive the notification and they ordered us to leave the church premises,” he added.
“They told us to leave or we will be treated as if were trespassing,” said the other official, who accompanied Quinlan to deliver the orders by Dr. Clifford L. Creel, the stated Clerk of the Presbytery of Northern New England (PNNE) who serves as the chief Ecclesiastical Officer and legal agent. The orders sought to clarify several facts regarding Ushindi church.
The statement, which was obtained by Ajabu Africa News from other sources, referred to Dr. Anthony Karimi Mumbui as the former pastor of Ushindi church.
It was addressed to 8 members of the current “session” of the church including Benson Kariuki, Deborah Mwathi, Rhoda Njaaga, Mary Charagu, Eunice Muiruri, Salome Njoroge, Daniel Njogu and Joseph Njode.
A "session" as described by the Book of Order that governs the running of affairs in the Presbyterian church, is the body of the elected elders who are responsible to run the affairs of the church and report to the Presbytery any irregularities in the course of service to the church, any harm or the risk of harm related to the physical abuse, neglect and or sexual molestation or abuse of minor or an adult (G-6.0204-.0304).
In Kenya, the Book of Order is referred to as Practice and Procedure book.
 Mumbui Karimi, former pastor of PCEA Ushindi church in Lowell , Massachusetts |
However, officials, said Stephen Quinlan, who was the lead prosecutor during the sex abuse trial against Dr. Karimi held last fall in Bedford, NH, together with another official of the Presbyterian church USA were dismayed when they were asked to leave the church compound or be charged with trespass when they attempted to deliver the orders.
Speaking to an Ajabu Africa reporter who coincidentally happened to be at the scene on a different business, the officials said that they came to the church to challenge Dr. Karimi’s recent return to the church against orders issued by the Presbytery of Northern New England after he was found guilty of 3 counts of sexually abusing a member of his congregation, who was a young girl at the time.
“We came today to challenge the contention by Dr. Karimi that he is still the pastor of PCEA Ushindi church,” said Stephen Quinlan. However, Karimi and members of the session refused to receive the notification and they ordered us to leave the church premises,” he added.
“They told us to leave or we will be treated as if you are trespassing,” said the other official, who accompanied Quinlan to deliver the orders by Dr. Clifford L. Creel, the stated Clerk of the Presbytery of Northern New England (PNNE) who serves as the chief Ecclesiastical Officer and legal agent. The orders sought to clarify several facts regarding Ushindi church.
The statement, which was obtained by Ajabu Africa News from other sources, referred to Dr. Anthony Karimi Mumbui as the former pastor of Ushindi church.
It was addressed to 8 members of the current “session” of the church including Benson Kariuki, Deborah Mwathi, Rhoda Njaaga, Mary Charagu, Eunice Muiruri, Salome Njoroge, Daniel Njogu and Joseph Njode.
A "session" as described by the Book of Order that governs the running of affairs in the Presbyterian church, is the body of the elected elders who are responsible to run the affairs of the church and report to the Presbytery any irregularities in the course of service to the church, any harm or the risk of harm related to the physical abuse, neglect and or sexual molestation or abuse of minor or an adult (G-6.0204-.0304).
In Kenya, the Book of Order is referred to as Practice and Procedure book.
“I cannot comment on anything. These people here are the ones to say anything if they want to,” Karimi retorted pointing to about a dozen of men and women seated around a table in the conference room..
Pressed further on who particularly would be responsible for issuing a statement, Karimi ignored the question then asked all present to bow down for a prayer so that the meeting could start. As the prayers ended, Karimi called for the meeting to start, leaving the reporter with no choice but to leave with no answers.
Many members of Ushindi church interviewed by Ajabu Africa News were ill informed about the details of what was taking place at the church.
Many were under the impression that the pastor had sorted out his issues with the PNNE which had asked him cease any contact with members of the church and to stop conducting any church related business for six months until he completed an ordered rehabilitation program.
“We were told that the pastor has appealed the decision and that is why he was back to the church to serve,” said a young man dismayed at the developments.
 Stephen Quinlan, one of the officials from the Presbytery of Northern New England who delivered orders clarifying the disqualification of Rev. Mumbui Karimi from serving as a pastor of the Ushindi church. |
Reliable sources told Ajabu Africa that efforts by some members of the board to get the pastor to explain the circumstances of his return to the church during a previous board meeting were thwarted by Dr. Karimi.
Being the pastor of the church and at the same time the chairman of the board, Karimi overruled them, saying that the issue was not part of the meeting agenda and therefore could not be discussed.
“Where are those guys who brought that letter?” asked one elderly man who is supportive of the pastor. “They should not come here to tell us what to do,” he added loudly as others watched nervously.
The sex abuse saga has captivated the Kenyan community for months since it came to light in November last year. It has also inflamed passions on both sides of the argument.
The accusers argue that Karimi indeed committed acts of sexual harassment to the young girl named in the case, and had originally apologized for the act, only to backtrack later and start a well calculated campaign within the church and in the wider community to discredit the accuser and her mother who was vehemently defending her daughter.
However, Dr. Karimi and his supporters deny the charges, contending that he was being framed by people keen on taking over the church leadership after his removal and blasted his trial as a shoddy trial that should have never been brought up at all.
Investigations that lasted over a year by the Permanent Judicial Commission, the legal arm of the Presbyterian Church USA, found Dr. Karimi guilty of 3 charges of sexual abuse and not guilty of two more in a 14 hour marathon trial held in Bedford, New Hampshire. Ajabu Africa attended the entire trial as it was open to the media.
The captivating saga caused a heated debate in the Kenyan community in the U.S.A, helping bring out other situations where some church leaders were accused of sexual and financial misconduct in a few other Kenyan community churches across the USA.
However, many pastors who believed the case caused them to be bundled into the same category for alleged sexual misconduct urged the community to refrain from such blanket accusations.
To date, the chairman of the Kenyan pastors Fellowship, Bishop David Karaya has not yet issued a statement regarding the issue despite numerous requests by the media. Karimi is a member of the Kenya Pastors Fellowship.
Other members of the Kenyan clergy in New England preferred to remain non committal on the matter- least publicly, and a few who risked displaying public support for the accused pastor found themselves on the receiving end of sour public sentiment, threatening to undermine their credibility.
The sex abuse situation is rampant in many communities. The difficulty faced by victims to come forward for help was amplified two days ago by the shocking admission by Massachusetts Senator, Scott Brown that he was abused by his camp counselor when he was ten years old.
The senator said that he has never had the courage to tell anyone about it or seek help, because he was threatened with death by the abuser, and told that no one would ever believe him anyways if he told.
Asked what will happen next after pastor returned to the church against the orders of the PNNE, Quinlan replied, “We will have to go back and report to the Presbytery for the next decision to be made.”
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