The Top 8 Celebrity-like Pastors In Kenya With The Fame and Influence Other Public Figures Can Only Dream Of

Some time back, church leaders from the major denominations in the land dominated the local religious sphere. It is the day when Former Catholic Archbishop Nding’i Mwana Wa Nzeki shared the same media coverage as the president.

It was the day the likes of David Gitari’s opinion was sought even on minute matters like national holidays. The traditional dominant denominations had power that catapulted even diocese heads to national and international fame. Not anymore, they may still have larger numbers but their leaders influence aside from the church members amounts to naught.

 They are national figures in their own right whose opinion on societal issue gets to you whether you are part of the herd under their stewardship or not. They are also above the petty miracle merchants who thrive on cheap tricks. These are men and women with class, mostly with professional training and all have theological training. They combine the authority of their platform with the force of their personalities to make quite striking figures whatever your view of them. Here are the 8 most influential Church leaders in Kenya in no particular order.

Bishop David Oginde- Christ is The Answer Ministries

David Oginde is the presiding Bishop of CITAM formerly Nairobi Pentecostal Church. He leads a church with over 45,000 people. His way and mannerisms is that of a sober intellectual cultivating for himself the respect of the audience by his articulate and measured way when on the media platform. He has become one of the most relied upon church leaders by the Kenyan media when seeking the spiritual take on a number of issues hence his frequent TV appearances. He has a matser in…. and sometime back became a subject of national discussion with his push to have CITAM become the first ISO certified church in Kenya.

Bishop Mark Kariuki

The head of the Deliverance Churches Community does his thing from the hallowed podium of House of Bread Church in Nairobi. By experience alone he has outlasted many of his counterparts even from the major denominations in a career spanning over 20 decades. He has been received and has attended to all manner of dignitaries. His passionate delivery and discussions make you believe in another world he would have been comfortable as an activist. To get an idea of his influence, he is the Presiding Bishop of all Deliverance churches around the globe which to about 1200 churches. He is married to Joyce Kariuki a pastor also and has three children and two grandchildren.

Pastor Muriithi Wanjau

The senior pastor of Mavuno church is the personification of the modern day influential church leader. He is young, has professional qualifications aside from theological training, cool, eloquent and versed with modern trends. He founded a church whose tenets envision a pragmatic approach on the gospel and life in what was then a ground breaking move. Mavuno Church has become synonymous with the youth, young professionals and celebrities as well as its headline grabbing contemporary issues. He has a degree in Biochemistry from the UON and a Masters in Theology from the Fuller Theological Seminary. He is not the flashy kind of pastor and has to be among the few pastors in this list those under him get to have equal or more limelight. He is married to Campus sweetheart Carol and has more than a decade experience with the church.

Prophet Dr. David Owuor

Larger than life is perhaps how you aptly describe the personality that id Dr. David Owuor or Prophet as him and his followers would have. He boasts a huge CV of academic qualifications and still yet a humber background as a street preacher but the present guy is different. He doesn’t collect offerings yet he moves around in sleek guzzlers. From Raila to Ruto to Uhuru and their cronies have all at one time been recipients of his prayers. His regional meetings have crowds from far coming to attend and at he is a frequent guest in Media Houses. His controversial prophecies and the requirements for members of his church/Ministry are just as huge as his influence. Few pastors elicit such emotion and loyalty from followers like him and he is without a doubt one of the most influential personalities in this country.

Bishop Margret Wanjiru

The presiding bishop of Jesus Is Alive ministries is the archetype of a Pentecostal pastor with her own church. She is rich as several others in the list, she is controversial, has a big title and is also a telelevangelist. She went one further when she successfully ran for parliament and later did give Sonko quite a tight race for the senatorial race. With Margret controversy is not always far but she seems to be one of those who thrive in it. She still has political ambitions making her pretty an influential church leader and politician. Her rivalry with Dr.Owuor which spilled over to the internet was quite telling and stuff for movie dramas.

Pastor Julian Kyula

Reverend Julian Kyula is not your ordinary pastor. He is among the few who are able to do their ministering and still handle their professional work. The founder of the Purpose Center Church is also the founder of MODE (Mobile Decisioning) a nano-financing platform which began as an unknown start-up and has grown to a multi-million company with presence in over 20 countries servicing over 100 million customers and in partnership with MTN and Airtel. The motivational speaker ministers both business gems as well as the gospel and among the youth and young professionals, his church’s popularity can only be compared to Mavuno Church. His business acumen and church popularity make him quite a celebrated and influential figure in Kenya and beyond.

Bishop and Reverend Kiuna

The ultimate power couple and showbiz church leaders around. These couple who are the leaders of the Jesus Celebration Center are snobiish, bullish flashy and seem to have mastered to art of getting the media and thus the whole nation focused on them. Armed with theological qualifications, charisma and a skill to dare, these two have one of the most popular worship locations and can even afford to lock out a certain section of the people. They have several TV shows coupled with a number of themed conferences and a multitude of projects. They are among the most controversial churches but few other couples even outside church can match the influence and lifestyle these two lead.

Bishop JB Masinde

I had to end the list with a less flashy but still prominent pastor. The Bishop of the Umoja Deliverence Church is also the General Secretary of Deliverance Churches Community. With over 30 years in the ministry and a reputation as an accomplished minister, JB Masinde commands influence and respect even among colleagues and various international forums.