Fredrick Nzwili
Fredrick Nzwili is a journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya. For more than 15 years, he has written about religion, politics, peace and conflict, development, security, environment and wildlife. His articles have appeared in international media organizations among others; The Tablet, The Christian Science Monitor, The National Geographic and Kenyan local newspapers; The Standard and the People Daily.
All Stories by Fredrick Nzwili
As death toll mounts in Kenya church, local clergy wonder at scale of indoctrination
By Fredrick Nzwili — April 25, 2023
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — Most of the exhumed bodies have been children’s, but the extreme indoctrination of their parents has shocked clerics and religious analysts.
Bitter infighting threatens Kenya’s Methodist Church
By Fredrick Nzwili — March 20, 2023
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — At the center of a controversy that has been unfolding since 2015 is Presiding Bishop Joseph Ntombura.
‘We cannot walk with you unless you repent,’ African archbishops tell Church of England
By Fredrick Nzwili — February 16, 2023
(RNS) — Leaders representing more than 35 million Anglicans said the English church’s decision to allow clergy to bless marriages and other unions of same-sex couples would further split the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Kenya’s deaf choir changes minds about ‘burdens’ of disabilities
By Fredrick Nzwili — January 31, 2023
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — The choir’s example has helped convince Kenyan churches to embrace deaf culture.
Kenyan faith leaders fight to preserve ‘Sunday best’ at church
By Fredrick Nzwili — January 18, 2023
(RNS) — While some of the new debate over dress codes in church has to do with morality, one Catholic priest explained a more practical concern: ‘One needs to be properly dressed so that they are not a distraction to other worshippers who want to focus on their creator.’
Eritrean Orthodox patriarch dies after 16 years in detention
By Fredrick Nzwili — February 11, 2022
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — Abune Antonios had been in solitary confinement for his resistance to government interference in the church.
After moving out of their comfort zone, atheists in Kenya gain visibility
By Fredrick Nzwili — February 7, 2022
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — A small atheist organization in Kenya is gaining ground in this largely Christian nation as it tackles political ideologies and human rights matters, wading into debates outside its usual critiques of religion.
In Africa, hijab is no barrier to success in beauty pageants
By Fredrick Nzwili — January 12, 2022
(RNS) — Two young women have won prominent beauty titles while keeping their heads covered according to Muslim tradition.
African faith leaders combat misleading theologies that promise cures for COVID-19
By Fredrick Nzwili — December 6, 2021
(RNS) — A series of symposiums aims to educate clergy and unify their churches against faith healing and other practices.
Kenyan Muslim leaders demand government action on unexplained disappearances
By Fredrick Nzwili — November 16, 2021
(RNS) — Muslim leaders fear a government campaign against terrorism has transformed into war against Islam and Muslims.
Kenyan Methodists defy ban on campaigning at church, saying ‘humans are political’
By Fredrick Nzwili — September 22, 2021
(RNS) — One Christian official said resistance to church guidelines on political speech risks a repeat of electoral violence in 2008.
Kenyan Anglican province defies moratorium to ordain woman bishop
By Fredrick Nzwili — September 15, 2021
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — The Rev. Rose Okeno was installed as bishop of the Butere Diocese on Sunday, even as a 2018 moratorium of the Global Anglican Future Conference resolved to halt the consecration of women into the episcopate until a consensus is reached.
Amid hesitation in African Anglican provinces, Kenya appoints first two women bishops
By Fredrick Nzwili — August 5, 2021
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — The consecration of women as bishops in the eastern African nation is still controversial.
Nigerian herders kill 33, burn 4 churches days after kidnapping schoolchildren
By Fredrick Nzwili — July 16, 2021
(RNS) — 'This is religious persecution. We must call it that. I have 1,000 reasons to believe so,' said a local leader.
Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, Congolese cleric and statesman, dies at 81
By Fredrick Nzwili — July 14, 2021
(RNS) — The former archbishop of Kinshasa is remembered as both a church leader and a statesman who fought fearlessly for human rights, and helped guide the nation through a turbulent political transition.
