Oigo, Jeremiah (1892–1979)

Jeremiah Oigo was a pioneer gospel worker and church planter in Eastern Kenya. He was sent to commence the Adventist work among the Kamba people of Machakos and Makueni counties, a considerable distance from his hometown in Ranen, Migori County. He surmounted enormous challenges, braved countless dangers--not just in his place of ministry, but also on the 300-mile road back home when he would ride his bicycle to visit his family.

Early Life

Jeremiah Oigo was born around 1892 in Yimbo village Siaya before migrating as a child with his family to settle at Mariwa in Awendo in what is presently Migori County in South Nyanza. His father was called Onyuo, and his mother would later be given the name Doris.¹ He was a young man when the Adventist missionaries arrived at Gendia in 1906. It so happened that his father had sent him on an errand. When he arrived, he found a group of boys discussing the recently arrived white man, and his curiosity was triggered. He quickly found his way to the new mission, which was about 20 miles from his home.² He began his early education in 1907 at the school set up by the missionaries there. Arthur Carscallen, the pioneer missionary in Gendia, quickly took a liking for him and employed him as his cook and gardener.³

Carcallen taught him to read and write, and he proved a fast learner. Carscallen’s wife, Hellen Thompson, taught him how to prepare their meals. When not working for the Carscallens, Oigo would join other young men and would go to the villages on Sabbath and preach to them. He also sang songs and prayed with them.⁴ Then they would invite them to meetings at the Mission. Even before he was baptized, Oigo was already a lay missionary among the Luo people.

On May 21, 1911, Jeremiah Oigo was one of 16 young men who were baptized in what appears to be the very first baptism in Kenya. From Gendia, he was sent to Wire, where the Bakers had established their Mission. He worked there as an evangelist briefly before moving to Kamagambo. It was here that he received his ministerial training even as he worked as a full-time evangelist. He would work among the Luo people for a total of 19 years. He was then called to travel to Kamba Country to establish the Adventist faith there.

Establishing the Central Kenya Mission

In the Autumn Council of the General Conference in 1932, a decision was made to reorganize the work in the East Africa Union. Tanganyika was moved to the Central European Division while Uganda was separated from the East Africa Union to form its own Union. Kenya and Uganda remained under the Northern European Division.⁵ The EAU under Superintendent Spencer G. Maxwell now remained only with Kenya, and to that was added the Italian Somaliland.⁶

To reach the unentered areas of Kenya, Maxwell formed three new mission stations, including the Central Kenya Mission, that would take care of the work in Central and Eastern/North-Eastern Kenya. Secondly, the North-West Kenya Mission was based in Eldoret (and later moved to Chebwai) to cover the upper Rift Valley. And finally, the Coast Mission was based in Mombasa to cover the Kenya Coast and the environs. He then placed Walter Armstrong in charge of Central Kenya Mission and placed himself managing the North-West Kenya Mission and also the Coast Mission.⁷

In September 1933, Armstrong moved to Nairobi and secured a property at the edge of the Kikuyu Reserve. He gave it the name “Karura” after the name of the nearby river. Armstrong had come with three Luo evangelists – Jeremiah Oigo, Mordecai Ating’a, and E. Owino. He then established a school at Karura and placed E. Owino to teach there. He sent Jeremiah Oigo to open up Kamba country while both he and Mordecai Ating’a would move to open up Kikuyu country.

Moving to Kamba Country

Oigo moved to Kamba country and arrived in Masii. He found a community that was not ready to welcome him. The local chief Mutava Nzioka frustrated his work. The people treated him with suspicion, believing him to be a spy. He suffered greatly, often sleeping in the open or on the roadsides and, if lucky, inside a chicken coop.⁸ He often went without food, sometimes for days at a time. Speaking to Spencer Maxwell, who had gone to visit him to see his progress, he said, “The people would not receive me. I cooked my own food and searched for a place to sleep. Most nights I waited until all was quiet in the village and then crept into the large grain basket or store, and curled up on the cobs of maize.”⁹ But he persisted. He would eventually bring the first Kamba people to the faith and, in a while, the Masii Church was organized. Some of his first converts included Daniel Muasya, Thomas Mwithia Kisinga, Jeremiah Kimuyu, Samson Nzau, Harun Kilaki, Tabitha Munguu, Martha Nthambi Mutevi, Rebeka Ndila, and Ezekiel Nzaui Katuli.

Later in 1934, Chief David Kaindi Katamu invited Jeremiah Oigo to go to his Mbooni location to take the Adventist message.¹⁰ Oigo accepted and trekked many hours from Massii to Mbooni, which was 20 miles away. Chief Kaindi welcomed him and provided a place for him to stay. Conditions here were much better, and the chief provided land. The local community helped him to construct a church and school at Mutitu.¹¹

The first believers in Mbooni were members of Chief Kaindi’s family. Others included members of the Ndingo family, the Kiamba family, the Wambua Masai family, and the family of David Mututa.¹² Several other people joined the group, including Paul Muindi Mutheke, who was a teacher in the African Inland Mission (AIM) and who later became an Adventist pastor. He also brought to the faith Joseph Mativo Mutua, a teacher. Soon, prominent community members and their families such as Solomon Ndeto, Timotheo Kithuku Musau, David Munyao, and Joel Munguti joined the Church. Today, in Mutitu, there is a large church and school which is a leading Adventist school in the region. The present church at Mutitu was constructed by Pastor Harrison Kung’u. Oigo eventually moved further into Mbooni, Makueni County.

In 1940, Oigo received a Macedonian call from Mutisya Ngomali to go to his Kalama location, Machakos County. As in Masii and Mbooni, the Adventist message was well received in Kalama, and the families of Mutisya Ngomali, Mutunga Sila, and Kyale Kyulu joined the church.

Describing the Work

Spencer G. Maxwell, the East Africa Union superintendent, wrote the following in the Advent Review on how the Adventist message started in Ukambani and was advancing:

One of the three Luo evangelists was assigned to the Ukambani people. They live in hilly country some fifty to one hundred miles east of Nairobi. Far less sophisticated than the Kikuyu, they offer an excellent field for the message. Though one of the nearest tribes to the main caravan route from the coast, they have completely resisted the advances of Islam. Jeremiah Oigo, our evangelist, did much travelling before finding a good opening at Mutitu. There is a government school at this place. The Government has done most of the education work in Ukambani, but no religious instruction is given in their schools. The school welcomed our evangelist and began Sabbath school with him. Some thirty enrolled as baptismal candidates including the two teachers. We made request for permission to erect a place of worship. But another Society was not pleased that we should come into Ukambani and sent a deputation to persuade the old men to refuse us. The old men did and our request for a prayer house was turned down. So our meetings can only be held under a tree. But Jeremiah is of good courage. He and his wife are living in a half-finished house, only partly roofed, and with no doors and windows. They moved there months ago but only half their goods have arrived. When I visited them they had no complaint, but only joy for the souls God had given them. Their candidates partake of their spirit and are determined to meet each Sabbath under a tree near the main road in full view of passers-by until the native elders agree to give them permission to build. Prospects are good for growth of a sturdy church in Ukambani.¹³

Tragedy in Ukambani

As described by Maxwell, the living conditions of the Oigo family were far less than ideal. It so happened that his son, Caleb their second child, was bitten by a snake and died. He was laid to rest in Mutitu.¹⁴ Despite the tragedy, Oigo continued with the work there. He was given a bicycle to increase his movement, and he would occasionally cycle all the way from Ukambani to his home in Mariwa, a distance of over 300 miles. In August 1938, Pastor Oigo was ordained into the ministry during the campmeeting that was held at Karura.¹⁵

Moving to Kanyadoto

After his ordination, Oigo ended his five-year tour of duty in Ukambani and was sent to work in Kanyadoto Mission in South Nyanza. He remained there until 1945 when the decision to downgrade Kanyadoto Mission was made. Kanyadoto had always posed serious health challenges for the missionaries working there due to endemic malaria and other tropical diseases. T. F. Duke was the missionary in charge of Kanyadoto, and Oigo helped him scout for a new venue to establish another mission station. They eventually settled at Ranen Hill on land owned by Ochola, the son of Miyare, who was a native of Sakwa Kadera.¹⁶ Oigo is therefore one of the founders of the Ranen Mission, which is today a full-fledged Conference.

T. F. Duke divided the new mission district into East and West Ranen. He placed Oigo in charge of East Ranen. Oigo worked here with Nicolas Opiyo, Malaki Osoo, and Mordecai Ating’a, who had also worked with him in Central Kenya. The West Ranen Mission was placed under Elisha Olero, who worked with Gershon Kungu, Isaac Ojwang’, Silvano Ayayo, Thomas Nyarwanda, Silvano Acholla, Clement Kotonya, Timotheo Otega, and Nicanor Agonda. Meanwhile, Kanyadoto Mission was renamed the Rapedhi Station and was placed under Ranen Mission. Oigo acquired land in Ranen from Ochola Miyare and settled his family there.

Family

Jeremiah Oigo married Rosebella Oigo in 1927. They had three children. Their first daughter, Abigail Aketch, was born in 1930. His eldest son, Caleb Oigo who died in Ukambani, was born in 1932. The other son, Joshua Oluoch, became an engineer and worked at the East Africa Oil Refineries based in Mombasa. Jeremiah Oigo passed away in 1979 at the age of 82. He was laid to rest at his home in Ranen. Their son, Joshua Oluoch, passed away in 1997. Rosebella died in 2006.

Legacy

Ukambani Station is today one of the largest stations under the Central Kenya Conference. Jeremiah Oigo’s mission to open up Ukambani in 1933 was marked by various challenges and difficulties, and his experiences are a valuable example of perseverance, dedication, adaptability, and a deep commitment to one’s mission. He did this with little help from the European missionaries, showing that the Africans were already capable of managing the work less than three decades after the introduction of Adventism. Oigo’s experiences exemplify the fortitude, commitment, and heavy sacrifices that many missionaries made for the sake of the Gospel.

Sources

Armstrong, W. “Developments in Central Kenya.” The Advent Survey, May 1, 1935.

Armstrong, Walter W. “An African Pioneer: How a Native Convert Witnesses for Christ.” Present Truth 52, no. 1, January 1936.

Dick, E. D. “The Business of the Council.” The Advent Survey, January 1, 1933.

Hanson, E. D. “Golden Jubilee in Kenya.” ARH, February 28, 1957.

Maxwell, Spencer G. “Changes in East Africa.” The Missionary Worker, March 10, 1933.

Maxwell, Spencer G. “I Loved Africa.” Unpublished memoirs, 1976.

Maxwell, Spencer G. The Advent Survey 10, no. 9, September 1938.

Wangai, Frederick K. The Power of the Word, A History of the Seventh-day Adventism in Central Kenya. Grandmaster, 2021.

Notes

1. George Oigo, nephew of Jeremiah Oigo based in Kisii, telephone interview by the author, October 24, 2023.↩

2. Walter W. Armstrong, “An African Pioneer: How a Native Convert Witnesses for Christ,” Present Truth 52, no. 1 (January 1936): 6.↩

3. E. D. Hanson, “Golden Jubilee in Kenya,” ARH, February 28, 1957, 19.↩

4. Ibid.↩

5. E. D. Dick, “The Business of the Council,” The Advent Survey 5, no. 1 (January 1, 1933): 11.↩

6. Spencer G. Maxwell, “Changes in East Africa,” The Missionary Worker, March 10, 1933, 8.↩

7. Ibid.↩

8. W. Armstrong, “Developments in Central Kenya” The Advent Survey, May 1, 1935, 1.↩

9. Spencer G. Maxwell, “I Loved Africa,” unpublished memoirs (1976), 145.↩

10. Frederick K. Wangai, The Power of the Word, A History of the Seventh-day Adventism in Central Kenya (Grandmaster, 2021): 149.↩

11. Ibid.↩

12. Ibid.↩

13. Ibid.↩

14. George Oigo, nephew of Jeremiah Oigo based in Kisii, telephone interview by the author, October 24, 2023.↩

15. Spencer G. Maxwell, The Advent Survey 10, no. 9 (September 1938), 8.↩

16. See, Bring Ngore and Godfrey K. Sang, “Ranen Conference,” Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists, April 5, 2021, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=8FHG&highlight=Ranen.↩