PCEA Karen Central Parish comprises two congregations: PCEA Karen Church and PCEA Livespring. Karen Church began on 17th December 2006 with 65 adults worshipping in a rented school hall — and then waited over a decade to build on its own land, as a court injunction filed in 2002 froze the plot until it was vacated in August 2013. The congregation moved onto the land on 22nd December 2013, worshipped in tents, survived two illegal demolitions, and dedicated its 200-seat sanctuary on 10th May 2015. Karen Central became its own parish in November 2022, when the larger Karen Parish was subdivided.
Some churches are built in a year. PCEA Karen Church — the anchor congregation of today’s Karen Central Parish — took thirteen years to get from a letter of allotment to a dedicated sanctuary, and the story in between runs through the High Court, a tented worship ground, and two demolitions. It is one of the most remarkable stories of persistence in PCEA Milimani South Presbytery.
A Church Planted in a Living Room, 2000
The plan to start a congregation in Karen was launched on 17th April 2000, at a meeting in the house of Mr. John Muriithi on Olashua Close, Karen. Around that living room sat members of District 24 of PCEA St. Andrew’s with their two elders, two elders from PCEA Muteero, and the Parish Minister of Karen Parish, the late Rev. Jane Wairimu Kashorda. The meeting was graced by two past Moderators of the General Assembly — the Very Rev. Dr. John Gatu and the Very Rev. Dr. George Wanjau.
Out of that meeting came the PCEA Karen Church Planting Committee, chaired by the late Elder John Kariuki with Elder Josphat Githachuri as secretary, tasked with finding a plot suitable for building a church.
The Land Case: 2002–2014
In March 2002, the committee applied to the Nairobi City Council for land in the Karen area. The Full Council granted the application, conveyed in a letter of allotment dated 6th May 2002, and construction of a 200-seater church began.
Then came the blow. In November 2002, a women’s group known as Woo-Kibor laid claim to the land, went to court, and obtained an injunction stopping construction. The late Rev. Jane Kashorda and Rev. Patrick Rukenya, then PCEA Secretary General, were listed as defendants on behalf of the Presbyterian Foundation. While the case dragged on, the title deed for the plot — LR 1159/365 — was processed through normal government procedures and received in February 2006.
The injunction stood for nearly eleven years. It was finally vacated on 17th August 2013, in a ruling by Justice Pauline Nyamweya, and on 4th March 2014 the same court declared that the land belongs to the Presbyterian Foundation.
Meanwhile: A Congregation Without a Home
The church did not wait for the courts to start being a church. On 17th December 2006, PCEA Karen Church held its first service with a congregation of 65 adults, 15 children, and three teenagers, under Parish Minister Rev. Moses Maara. The Kirk Session of Karen Parish sent three elders — Josphat T. Githachuri, Hannah Waciira, and John Kamau Mungai — to shepherd the new congregation, which became the third in Karen Parish alongside Muteero and Kuwinda.
For seven years, the congregation worshipped in rented premises at St. Christopher’s School, Karen. When the injunction was lifted in 2013, they moved fast: development approval was granted on 12th September 2013, and on 22nd December 2013 the congregation finally moved onto its own land — worshipping in tents on the open grounds.
Even then the trials were not over: the church’s own record notes two illegal demolitions by the Nairobi City County Government. And still the congregation grew — from four Elder Districts with three active elders to five Districts, and a membership of 120 communicants, 30 adherents, and 18 children.
A Sanctuary at Last, 2015
Groundbreaking for the permanent sanctuary was conducted by Parish Minister Rev. Paul Kariuki on 15th February 2015, with construction starting two days later. The foundation stone was laid on 29th March 2015 by the Moderator of PCEA Milimani South Presbytery, Rev. Dr. Patrick Mungiriria — and on 10th May 2015, the 200-capacity sanctuary was dedicated, graced by the 21st General Assembly.
The parish record gives particular thanks to Dr. Stewart Ross of the Outreach Foundation of the Presbyterian Church (USA), whose assistance helped make the building possible — a reminder that this was a partnership of local determination and global Presbyterian fellowship.
Giving as It Was Given To
What makes Karen Church’s story more striking is what the congregation did while still landless itself: it built for others. In its Nendeni Mission Outreach Area in Namanga, the church constructed a permanent 200-capacity sanctuary at Mailua — mission work among the Maasai communities of Kajiado that continues today. The congregation also purchased a plot at the Karen Triangle for future development.
In November 2022, the larger Karen Parish was subdivided into Karen West and Karen Central. PCEA Karen Central Parish now comprises PCEA Karen Church and PCEA Livespring — a young parish built on a congregation that learned patience the hard way.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did PCEA Karen Church take so long to build its sanctuary?
A court injunction obtained in November 2002 by a group claiming the church’s allotted land froze all construction for nearly eleven years. The injunction was vacated on 17th August 2013, and in March 2014 the court affirmed the land belongs to the Presbyterian Foundation.
Which congregations make up PCEA Karen Central Parish?
Two: PCEA Karen Church and PCEA Livespring. The parish was created in November 2022 when the larger Karen Parish was subdivided into Karen West and Karen Central.
When was the PCEA Karen Church sanctuary dedicated?
On 10th May 2015, after groundbreaking in February 2015 and the laying of the foundation stone by Presbytery Moderator Rev. Dr. Patrick Mungiriria on 29th March 2015.
Final Thoughts
Karen Church’s members spent seven years in a borrowed school hall and two more under tents on their own contested land — and in that same season, they built a permanent church for a mission congregation 150 kilometres away in Namanga. That is the story of Karen Central Parish in miniature: a church that refused to let what it lacked determine what it gave. The sanctuary dedicated in 2015 stands as an answer to a prayer first prayed in a living room in April 2000.
Want to Visit or Connect with Karen Central Parish?
Reach out to the Presbytery office to learn more about Karen Central Parish and its congregations.
Historical details in this article are drawn from PCEA Milimani South Presbytery’s own published parish records. Compiled by the Editorial Desk.