Gahima elected Archbishop of Anglican Church
Bishop Manasseh Gahima has been elected Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Rwanda (EAR), succeeding Laurent Mbanda.
The 55-year-old Bishop of Gahini was elected on Friday, 11 September, by the Anglican House of Bishops, which comprises bishops from the church’s 13 dioceses.
His consecration is scheduled to take place on 25 October at Camp Kigali.
Bishop Gahima was elected ahead of Bishop Assiel Musabyimana of Kigeme Diocese.
The two bishops were eligible for the position because they are aged between 55 and 60 and have served as diocesan bishops for at least five years.
The election is traditionally held in a private meeting, where the bishops vote among themselves before the winner is announced.
Who is Manasseh Gahima?
Bishop Gahima was enthroned as the second bishop of Gahini Diocese in 2019.
He was born on 12 December 1970 to Pheneas Gahima and Donatille Mukarutabana. His family fled Rwanda as refugees, and he grew up in Uganda.
He attended Kasonga Primary School in Hoima District before studying at Kololo Secondary School and St Andrea Kahwa’s College.
He later obtained a Diploma in Secondary Education from NTC Kakoba Campus of the then Institute of Teacher Education Kyambogo (ITEK) in Uganda.
He went on to earn a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Umutara Polytechnic, now part of the University of Rwanda.
Bishop Gahima also holds a master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Kabale University and a master’s degree in theology from Wycliffe University.
He earned a PhD in theological studies from Wycliffe University, graduating in July 2018 at a ceremony held at the university’s Kampala campus.
Before taking up senior church leadership, he worked in Rwanda’s local government administration from 1996, serving in different capacities. He later held several administrative positions within Gahini Diocese.
He was consecrated assistant bishop of Gahini Diocese on 28 May 2017 before being enthroned as the diocese’s second bishop on 26 May 2019.
He is married to Rose Dusenge Gahima.
Gahini Diocese was established in May 1997 after being carved out of the former Byumba and Kibungo dioceses.
The Anglican mission in Gahini dates back to 1925, when Christian missionaries established a mission station in the area.
Bishop Gahima succeeds Laurent Mbanda, 71, who had led the Anglican Church of Rwanda since 2018.
Mbanda was expected to retire at 65, but his tenure was extended, allowing him to remain in office beyond the usual retirement age.
