Kigeme Diocese – The Anglican Church of Rwanda

K igeme Diocese operates its activities in community of four Districts: Nyamagabe, Nyaruguru, Nyanza and Huye of the southern province of Rwanda. To fullfill its vision “to be a Church that glorifies God and blesses the nations,” Kigeme Diocese has put in place different departments. One of them is Department of planning and development.
Planning and Development department works in community by participating in holistic development in making systematic accompaniments. Kigeme Diocese participates in community work in arm with other partners. It works through different programs such as Saving and credit Program, Food Security Program, Environmental protection program, Health mums Program, promoting Justice and reconciliation, Fourteen projects supported by Compassion International, among others.

Saving and Credit Program aims at developing community through putting people in saving and credit associations. In this program, people save money and offer loans among them to run small businesses. In their saving associations they are given different trainings for sustainable holistic development. Currently, the program counts more than 1280 saving associations with over 16000 members.
Church facilitators located in each parish have been trained to take care of saving associations day today.
Through Food Security Program, EAR Kigeme Diocese promotes food security in community through trainings about agricultural process, animal feeding, milk production and milk safety, diseases prevention and environmental protection process. There are para-veterinary workers who are based in community and look after domestic animals. Kigeme Diocese owns Milk Collection Center (MCC) that helps local community to access pasteurized milk.
Kigeme Diocese also is active member of District Joint Action Forum (DJAF). In last open-day (accoutability day) of activities 2017-2018 Kigeme won 3rd place of best exhibitor.

Manasseh Gahima is the new bishop of Gahini Anglican Diocese, following his enthronement on Sunday to replace long serving Bishop Alexis Bilindabagabo

Bilindabagabo had led the diocese since its creation 22 years ago

Gahima, 49, was consecrated bishop on May 28, 2017 in Kayonza District and has since been serving as Bilindabagabo’s assistant.

He took over the reigns at the historically renowned diocese on Sunday in a ceremony attended by national leaders, including cabinet ministers, senators and heads of different parastatals, among others.

The event, which was presided over by Archbishop Laurent Mbanda, attracted thousands of Christians including senior leaders of the Anglican community in Rwanda, and clerics from East African countries, Australia, and USA, among others.

“Now that we have turned a new chapter, we expect renewed effort to continue advancing the diocese under new leadership,” Mbanda said, congratulating Bilindabagabo, whose shoes he said would be difficult to fill.

He, however, urged the new prelate to make use of his experience serving in the same diocese, saying that the congregation and, generally, the people in the jurisdiction of the diocese looked up to him.

“We are not required to be completely the same as the ones we replace,” Mbanda said, adding that everyone has their style of leadership but the result is what counts.

At a personal level, he said he knows the new bishop as a person who delivers.

“Be strong and courageous, count on God to lead your way, remember that God already promised that He is with you,” he said, making reference to biblical story of Joshua, who was replacing Moses, on the role of leading Israelis back to the Promised Land.

He said Gahima should use the values of Joshua such as bravery, integrity, and following God’s guidance to get His flock to the Promised Land.

In his speech, Gahima said that he is always humbled whenever called upon to serve the Lord.

“I always take time to reflect if really I act as a servant of God and every time I reflect, it sort of renews my commitment and determination to deliver for the people I am entrusted to lead on behalf of God,” he said.

The incoming bishop announced that he will maintain a programme dubbed “Tubashake”, established by his predecessor, as an outreach programme where the clergy go to the community instead of the members of community coming to them.

Gahima also promised to sustain efforts to champion development in the region, saying that spiritual growth should go in tandem with general development of families, community and the nation at large.

“We will encourage our Christians to participate in different government programmes like Umuganda, Umugoroba w’Ababyeyi and mediators’ committees (Abunzi) to promote Rwandan values and national development,” he said.

The Minister for Local Government, Prof. Anastase Shyaka, appreciated the continued partnership between religious organisations and government in the development of the population.

He particularly thanked the Anglican Church for their role in the development of sectors like education and health.

“We appreciate that in these 25 years after the Genocide against the Tutsi, the Anglican Church has been a dependable partner in rebuilding and transforming our country.

“On behalf of President Paul Kagame, I want to commend Bishop Bilindabagabo for successfully discharging his responsibilities in the last 22 years as leader of Gahini Diocese,” he said.

Who is Gahima?

Manasseh Gahima was born on December 19, 1970. He is married to Rose Gahima with whom they have eight children.

From 1995 to 1997, he was the deputy headmaster in charge of Anglophone studies at Lycée de Kigali.

In 1997, he became bourgmestre of former Karangazi Commune, which is part of today’s Nyagatare District, and from 2004 to 2005, he became the bourgmestre of former Gabiro Commune.

Subsequently, Gahima dedicated himself to Anglican Church. He now has a doctorate in theological studies.

About the Diocese

One of the 11 dioceses of the Anglican Church in Rwanda, Gahini Diocese sits on Gahini hill and has 59 parishes and 280 sub-parishes.

It serves an estimated 100,000 Christians in the districts of Nyagatare, Gatsibo and Kayonza in Eastern Province.

It is in Gahini, that in 1926, Reverend Halord Guillebaud baptised the first converts in Rwanda and started translating Christian literature in Kinyarwanda.

Gahini hill was declared a Regional Revival Heritage Centre in February 2017. The centre is undergoing redevelopment.

The Rwanda Anglican Mission movement established its first station at Gahini in 1925 and grew through the revivals of the 1930s and 1940s, spreading across the globe.

The newly ordained Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Kigali, Rev. Nathan Amooti Rusengo, has said that he will put emphasis on the use of digital platforms in evangelism as he sets sight on endearing the gospel towards the urban youth.

The Anglican Church will soon start its own university that will among other things offer theology courses in a bid to improve the quality of education for church leaders to abide by the new law governing faith-based organisations.

The East African Christian University is located in Kabuga, Gasabo district and is ready to start, according to officials.

It will also offer courses such as theology, communication, business, public health, education, among others, according to Laurent Mbanda, Archbishop of Anglican Church in Rwanda.

Officials made the revelations on Friday during the closing of a two-day conference that brought together senior church leaders and their counterparts from United States of America to discuss how the church can contribute more to the development of the church and Rwandans in general.

“Construction activities of the university are almost complete and all is set. We applied for accreditation fromthe Higher Education Council (HEC) to allow us to start offering courses, we hope they will visit and give us the go-ahead to start,” he said.

Renowned American evangelist, Rick Warren, will on Tuesday next week preach at a gathering in Kigali where nearly 2000 Rwandan leaders have been invited to discuss purpose driven leadership.

At least 1800 leaders from across the country are expected for the gathering at which invitees also include 300 government officials, 300 business leaders, and 1200 church leaders.

The meeting, dubbed ‘Purpose Driven Leadership Gathering’, was organised by PEACE Plan Rwanda, a network of church members through which local churches and leaders are empowered, as well as Rwanda Leaders Fellowship (RLF), a non-for-profit organisation known for organising the annual national prayer breakfast.