Tibanga, Lugumira, and Wamukota: The First African Ministers of the Reformed Church of East Africa (RCEA)

Background: The Beginnings of an African Church

By the early 1940s, the Dutch Reformed Church missionaries under Bwana Loubser had established a mission presence primarily among the Boer white settler community in Uasin Gishu, focusing their ministry on European farms. The African population—though living and working around these farms—remained largely outside the church’s evangelistic focus.

The turning point came with the arrival of Rev. B.B. Ebiyers (Eybers) in 1944, a visionary missionary who believed in extending the gospel to the African communities. Eybers recognized the need to train indigenous leaders who could communicate effectively in Swahili, the lingua franca of East Africa, and relate culturally to the people.

He established a small Bible Training Centre at Plateau, near Eldoret, marking the beginning of theological education for Africans within the Reformed Church mission. It was here that three African men—Herbert Tibanga, Lugumira, and Jason Wamukota—would receive their training and ordination as the first African ministers in the Reformed Church of East Africa.

 Rev. Herbert Tibanga (Bukoba, Tanzania – 1997): The Plateau Shepherd

Rev. Hubert Tibanga

Herbert Tibanga hailed from Bukoba, in northwestern Tanzania. Originally a member of the Kanisa la Kilutheri Tanzania (KKT), he was a trained teacher before he felt called to ministry. His strong command of Swahili and his disciplined Lutheran background made him an ideal candidate for the Reformed ministry training program established by Rev. Eybers.

After completing his training and passing his examinations, Tibanga was ordained and appointed to lead the Plateau Congregation, one of the three mission sub-centers under the RCEA structure—Plateau, Eldoret, and Kitale.

At Plateau, Tibanga lived at the Bwana Loubser Mission Station, using an old classroom at Plateau Primary School as a makeshift church. Despite limited facilities, he was deeply committed to preaching, teaching, and nurturing new believers. His humble and faithful service left a deep spiritual mark in the area.

Granted emeritus status in 1981, Tibanga retired to his home in Bukoba in 1982. In his retirement, he attempted to plant an RCEA congregation in his home region but eventually handed it over to the Lutheran Church before his passing in 1997. His efforts symbolized a lifelong dedication to unity within the broader Christian mission in East Africa.

Rev. Jeremia Lugumira (Bukoba, Tanzania – 1976): The Faithful Evangelist of Eldoret

Rev. Jeremia Lugumira

Like his colleague Tibanga, Rev. Jeremia Lugumira came from Bukoba, Tanzania, and shared a similar Lutheran background. Known for his humility, quiet strength, and passion for evangelism, he became a bridge between the early European missionaries and the emerging African congregations.

He led the Eldoret Congregation, which was at the time a growing hub for the RCEA among African converts and workers who had migrated into the area seeking employment on settler farms.

On January 15, 1957, Rev. Lugumira was officially posted to Mungu Nasi (formally Immanuel) Church in Eldoret, taking over from Rev. Willem De Klerk, the grandfather of South Africa’s later president F.W. De Klerk. Under Lugumira’s leadership, the Eldoret congregation expanded, drawing more Africans into fellowship and laying the foundation for what would later become one of the strongest RCEA presbyteries.

He served faithfully until 1968, when he suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed. He returned to Bukoba, where he lived quietly until his death on November 6, 1976. In recognition of his service, the RCEA granted him emeritus status, honoring his pioneering contribution to the indigenization of the Reformed Church in Kenya.

Rev. Jason Wamukota (Kitale, Kenya – 1969): The First RCEA Synod Chairman

Rev. Jason Wamukota

The youngest and the most dynamic of the three pioneers, Rev. Jason Wamukota, was born in 1926 in Kitale, Kenya. Before joining the ministry, Wamukota trained and worked as a teacher, a profession that equipped him with organizational skills, literacy, and confidence in leadership.

He began his education at Nyang’ori and later taught at Marinda Primary School in Kitale. His encounter with missionaries at Plateau inspired him to pursue theological training under Rev. Eybers at the Bethel Bible School in Plateau. He was ordained on June 16, 1956, marking a significant milestone in the Africanization of the Reformed Church’s clergy.

Wamukota’s first assignments were at Kaptagat, Sergoit, and Plateau, before he was transferred to Kitale in 1960 in an exchange with Rev. Tibanga. He also ministered at Uncle Herman Keese’s farm, 25 km north of Kitale, where a small congregation of African farmworkers gathered. His dynamic leadership and evangelistic zeal saw the church in Trans-Nzoia expand rapidly.

Wamukota was instrumental in mentoring a new generation of African pastors, including Rev. Biboko, Rev. Welime, Rev. George Makokha, Rev. Masibo, and Rev. Marauni, many of whom later rose to senior leadership positions within the RCEA.

In 1963, during a critical transition period as Kenya gained independence, Wamukota was elected the first African Chairman of the RCEA Synod (equivalent to today's synod Moderator), symbolizing a new era of African leadership and self-governance in the church.

Sadly, his promising ministry was cut short when he passed away on October 21, 1969, after a brief illness. His legacy, however, endures through the many pastors and congregations that trace their roots to his mentorship and vision.

Legacy of the Three Pioneers

The ordination of Revs. Tibanga, Lugumira, and Wamukota represented a historic transition—from a European missionary movement to an African-led Reformed Church. They became symbols of faith, endurance, and the indigenization of Christianity in Kenya and East Africa.

Their ministries established the foundations upon which the Reformed Church of East Africa would grow into a self-sustaining, nationally recognized denomination—rooted in African leadership and contextual theology, yet retaining its Reformed heritage.

Their collective story is not just about religion—it is about the decolonization of the church, the empowerment of African voices, and the birth of a homegrown faith movement that continues to shape Christian life in western Kenya and beyond.