Court Orders Anglican Church To Pay KSh 6m To Priests Accused Of Homosexuality

A Nyeri Court has ordered the Anglican Church of Kenya to compensate three priests it accused of being gay.

The Anglican Church was ordered to pay Pastors Paul Warui, John Gachau and James Maigua a sum of KSh 6.8 million for defamation as well as to be reinstated to their pastoral duties following their suspension over homosexuality allegations.

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The clergymen said that they suffered a huge loss of reputation and integrity, eroding their dignity among the congregants and public.

Labour court Justice Byram Ongaya agreed with the Priests as he dismissed an application by the church to have the judgment, which was delivered on September 9, 2016, reviewed.

He said it would be an abuse of court process since the church had already moved to the Court of Appeal to challenge it.

Justice Ongaya further declined to have the Mt. Kenya West Diocese Bishop, Rev. Joseph Kagunda, and the Church Commissioners for Kenya (CCK) enjoined in the suit as respondents.

The church, however, argued through its lawyer Wachira Nderitu that the bishop was denied a right of reply before the order to award compensation was pronounced.

The court said that Bishop Kagunda was aware of the proceedings in the main suit and the case was concluded without seeking to be enjoined until long later after the judgment was entered in favor of the priests.

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Nderitu also told the court that if any claim was to be executed and complied with, then it could only be by the sitting diocese bishop and the CCK and not the registered trustees of the ACK, as indicated by the priests.

In response, the court allowed amendments to the suit to read the judgment against CCK, saying the orders to reinstate and compensate the priests were not directed to Bishop Kagunda at his individual capacity since he was not the employer of the priests.