The long running legal battle pitting the Registrar of Societies against the African Israel Nineveh Church is set to extend into the new year after the High Court in Kisumu directed that a newly filed application in the matter be formally served upon all interested parties.
Presiding over the proceedings, High Court Judge Justice Joe Omido issued the procedural directive and slated the matter for mention on February 24, 2027, coinciding with the commencement of the new judicial term.
The court order mandates that the applicant effect formal service of the pleadings on all respondents and enjoined parties. According to the court, the directive is intended to guarantee fair administrative action and ensure that every party is accorded adequate time to file their respective responses, affidavits, and submissions before the court moves to the substantive hearing of the application.
The suit forms the latest chapter in protracted wrangles surrounding the leadership, internal governance, and constitutional administration of the African Israel Nineveh Church one of Kenya’s oldest indigenous religious institutions.
Over the years, rival factions within the church have repeatedly clashed over succession, the legitimacy of office bearers, and contested amendments to the church’s governing constitution, frequently drawing in the Registrar of Societies over the statutory registration of officials.
Founded in 1932 by the late High Priest Paul David Zakayo Kivuli and formally registered under the Societies Act in 1956, the church boasts a massive following, particularly across Western Kenya and Nyanza. However, its administrative stability has periodically been tested by internal schisms that have spilled into the corridors of justice for adjudication.
Legal observers note that Justice Omido’s latest ruling is strictly procedural, aimed at clearing preliminary hurdles and ensuring proper case management rather than making a final determination on the merits of the dispute.
When the parties reconvene before the Kisumu High Court on February 24, 2027, the court will confirm compliance with the service orders and issue further directions on the hearing and disposal of the application.
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