Mutero, James Munuhe (1927–1991)

James Munuhe Mutero was an evangelist and administrator from Kenya. His pioneering role of bringing the Adventist message to Muruguru village led to the establishment of the Adventist Church in that area in later years.

Early Life

James Munuhe Mutero was born January 1, 1927, at Thiru, Muruguru village in Nyeri County, Kenya. He was born the fourth child of Mumbi wa Ndimu and Munuhe Mutero who were peasant farmers. His siblings were Julius Mutero, Ngonyo, and Mwihaki. His early life was that of a normal village boy, but at the age of four years he had an incident where he was attacked by a hyena and dragged to a nearby forest. Fortunately, he was rescued by villagers before the hyena could kill him, but he sustained very serious facial injuries. He was hospitalized at the nearby Tumutumu Presbyterian Mission Hospital for a very lengthy period. His mother stayed with him at the hospital throughout the period of his hospitalization. This incident would define his later life of service and his philosophy of “saved to serve.”¹

Education and Marriage

In 1939 he joined Muruguru Primary School and later transferred to Mung’aria Primary School from 1940 to 1942. In 1944 an Adventist missionary from Karura SDA Mission visited Muruguru village and met the young boy James tending his family’s goats. He asked him whether he would like to go for further studies at Karura SDA Primary School. He accepted the offer to study in an Adventist school and this encounter with the Adventist missionary completely transformed his life. It became a turning point that exposed him to the Adventist message and led to his baptism. From 1945 to 1947 he studied at the Kamagambo SDA School. He returned to the Karura SDA Primary School in 1948 and served as a teacher for a few months. In 1950 he was recruited to join the Kenya police training college at Kiganjo, Nyeri, where he was trained as a policeman for one year. Later, while serving in the police force, he enrolled in correspondence studies with the British Tutorial College based in Nairobi and obtained a certificate in general education in 1954.²

He married Ruth Nyambura in 1953 while working in the police force, and together they were blessed with two sons: Daniel Mwangi and Samuel Mutero. This marriage did not work out and it ended in divorce. After counseling with church leaders concerning remarriage when he rejoined church service, he married Rachel Wangu on April 18, 1965, at Gatumbi SDA Church in Kirinyaga county. He and Rachel Wangu were blessed with four children: Andrew Mwangi, Gideon Munene, Tabitha Mumbi, and Miriam Wanjiku.³

Career/Ministry

In 1948 he returned to his home village to become a pioneer evangelist. In 1949 he taught at the following Adventist schools: Kagwathi, Mutitu, and Irabari. He returned to his home in Muruguru village in 1950 and taught at Muruguru Primary School before he was recruited to join the Kenya police training college at Kiganjo, Nyeri, in August 1950.

After training as a policeman, he served in various stations within Kenya, including Nakuru and Rongai in the Rift Valley region, and he was promoted to the rank of corporal by the time he resigned from the police force in November 1956. During his time as a policeman, he encountered numerous challenges concerning the observance of Sabbath. At the same time, his heart was not at peace because of his desire to serve in the gospel ministry. He wanted to transition from being a soldier in the worldly police force to being a soldier of the cross in the frontline of spreading the good news of salvation. He would frequently refer to himself as a soldier of the Lord in his ministry life after he left the police force.⁴

His desire to serve the Lord as a gospel minister led to his resignation from the police force. In December 1956 he was employed as an instructor at the East African Union Voice of Prophecy Bible Correspondence School and served in that role until 1965. He joined the Central Kenya Field as a district pastor for Murang’a and Nyeri from 1966 to 1968, when he went to Heri Adventist Hospital in Tanzania where he enrolled in a health evangelism course. He returned to Kenya in 1969 and served as a district pastor in Kaloleni, Mombasa, and later in Bukwala, Kakamega until 1970. In 1971 he joined the All Africa Conference of Churches radio training school in Nairobi where he was certified as a radio presenter for Christian programs.

In 1972 he was appointed to be the first African director of the East African Union Voice of Prophecy Bible Correspondence School. He was also assigned to be the first SDA Church radio presenter for the time segment allocated to the church by the government owned national broadcasting station, Voice of Kenya. In 1972 he was ordained as a gospel minister. During his tenure as director of the Voice of Prophecy, there was an increase in the number of languages in which the Bible correspondence lessons were provided and a more deliberate effort to connect the graduates of the correspondence school with the local Adventist churches. This connection to local churches was accomplished by conducting Voice of Prophecy graduation ceremonies in local churches near where the graduates lived. In 1980 he was appointed to be the East African Union translator and assigned the role of translating various church training materials from English to Kiswahili.⁵

Later Life

He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1977 and started undergoing treatment at the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi. In April 1982, at age 55, he took medical retirement due to the progression of his Parkinson’s disease. His physical condition continued to degenerate until he passed away on January 28, 1991, at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi. During the time of his illness, he continued to inspire his family and friends to carry on the work of spreading the gospel.⁶

Legacy

His philosophy of life was “saved to serve.” He felt that God had a purpose for sparing his life when he was young and attacked by a hyena. His life of service as a teacher, evangelist, police officer, district pastor, administrator, and translator was marked by great humility and regard for other people. He was an accomplished communicator with a gift of clarity and precision in English, and the Kiswahili and Kikuyu languages. His pioneering role of bringing the Adventist message to Muruguru village led to the establishment of the Adventist Church in that area in later years. The first Adventist church in Muruguru is built on a piece of land that he and his wife, Rachel Wangu, donated to the Seventh-day Adventist Church.⁷

Notes

1. James Munuhe Mutero, interview with the author in April 1985 at Nairobi, Kenya and interview with Rachel Wangu Mutero in February 2007 at Nyeri County, Kenya.↩

2. Ibid.↩

3. Frederick Kimani Wangai, interview with the author on December 18, 2016, at Kirinyaga County, Kenya. Pastor Wangai counseled James and Rachel Mutero before their marriage and officiated at their marriage ceremony on April 18, 1965.↩

4. James Munuhe Mutero, interview with the author in April 1985 at Nairobi, Kenya.↩

5. Ibid.↩

6. Rachel Wangu Mutero, interview with the author in February 2007 at Nyeri County office, Kenya.↩

7. Andrew Mwangi, Tabitha Mumbi, and Miriam Wanjiku, interview with the author in December 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya. Those interviewed are children of James Muhune Mutero as is the author of the article.↩