Mwai, Eliachim Oloo (c. 1908–1994)

Eliachim Oloo Mwai was an early lay evangelist and church elder in Kenya.

The exact date of the birth of Eliachim Oloo Mwai is uncertain but is estimated to be around 1908. His eighth child, Elder John Mwai Oloo thought it might have been earlier¹. Elder Eliachim Mwai was born in Kadiang’a, Upper Nyakach, in Kisumu County. He married Doris Okun about the year 1924, also is not a certain date. They were blessed with 10 children, four of whom are now deceased.²

Eliachim Oloo Mwai became a proficient carpenter and builder. With his two vocations and very diligent workmanship, he became endeared to many. His interactions with his friends and clients rarely ended without a Biblical reference. This earned him the byname Japuonj, which is Luo for Teacher. He was a teetotaler all his life and generally had a quiet demeanor.

Elder Oloo was already a member of the African Inland Mission when he encountered Adventism for the first time in 1928. Thurgem Church had been established a few years earlier, and literacy programs were already being conducted by Adventists at Ogilo, not far from Elder Oloo’s homestead. His thirst for literacy prompted him to enroll at the center. He managed to reach class two level of Education, and with that, he could write well and read the Bible, which was always his desire. He also enrolled for baptism and was baptized at Thurgem, where his membership was recorded. He and the other early Adventists from his village would travel to Thurgem nearly 20 kilometers away for camp meetings.

Elder Oloo and his colleagues built a small grass thatched church which they used for quite a while at Ragen, which was closer to his home. They still had to attend camp meetings at Thurgem until a center was established at Olembo, closer to Ragen. They went to Olembo for a long time until their own camp center was established at Ragen in 1985.³

Elder Oloo had a very strong passion for preaching and for evangelism. He would not miss an opportunity to preach, even at funerals. Many people were brought to Adventism through his efforts. He reached out to friends and kinsmen in his village, Bolo, which is in a predominantly Catholic area. Elder Oloo held several leadership positions in the church serving as an ordained elder for many years. His wife also held several positions in the church. He generally enjoyed good health and rarely fell ill. He was still active in his old age, and he would even go out to his field to dig and weed.

One day, as he was out weeding, a stick pricked him in one eye, which he eventually lost. Even with the remaining eye, he still read his Bible daily. One afternoon in the early part of 1994, he went out to bring his goats back home from pasture and his loyal dog followed him. He held the goats’ tethers as he led them home. The playful dog then suddenly got excited and frightened the goats, which then scampered away with their tethers still held fast in his hands. He got entangled and fell down hard, breaking his leg. He never completely healed from this. In August of the same year, he died peacefully. He is survived by three sons and three daughters.

Notes

1. John Mwai Oloo, interview by the author, Nyakach, August 23, 2016.↩

2. Ibid.↩

3. James Obam, interview by the author, Ragen, August 30, 2016.↩