Historic Churches in Tana River Hola Methodist Church: A National Monument Bearing a formational resemblance to Ngao Neukirchen Church, the building known as the Hola Methodist Church (Hola Mission) was elevated to a National Monument on January 25, 2015. In Kenya, the Methodist Church grew out of the United Methodist Free Churches whose missionary committee in 1860 agreed to send a mission to East Africa. Its first missionaries reached Mombasa in 1862, from where they started their mission work at Ribe, before moving further inland by caravan to Hola town. They worked here for a period of fifty years since 1863. Johann Krapf worked closely, from 1862, with Thomas Wakefield to set up the first mission station of the United Methodist’s Free Church Mission in Kenya at Ribe. W.H. During pioneered the Methodist Mission to the Galla (Orma) tribe starting 1863. During came from the Waterloo Church in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He was an ordained minister destined to East Africa under the auspices of the United Methodist Free Church. Along River Tana there was also the Neukirchen Mission, a German evangelical mission that started work among the Pokomo in the 1890s. The German work prospered along the Tana River and new stations were established. The work was later given to the Methodists during World War I, when German missionaries were interned. Around Hola, the Methodists focused their attention towards the people living along Tana River, mainly the Galla. Their ambition had been to use River Tana as ‘Christ’s Highroad to the Mighty Galla’, whom they had believed waited a million strong to receive the word of God. They did not, however, achieve the expected results in these early days, or with the expedience they had theorized. An amalgam of extreme aridity, a desolate landscape, virulent malaria and unresponsive natives slacked off the momentum, and by the early 1900s Hola Mission had become little more than a token outpost. It is useful to remark remark here that the United Methodist Mission and its endeavor to move into the interior, having procrastinated for far too long on the coast region and along the Tana River, was delayed owing to limited resources. In 1909 Reverend Griffiths of the Methodist Church Mission had approached Edward Butler Home, the then District Commissioner for Meru, for a Methodist presence in Meru. Edward Home accepted the request and even went ahead to see to it that land was allocated to Griffiths at Kaaga by the Mulathankari clan. A missionary carpenter started the buildings at Kaaga in January, 1912. Reverend Worthington, arriving in December of that year, began evangelical work. After opening a station at Kaaga in 1912, a school was opened at the same place in 1913. By 1915, the United Methodist Mission had more or less settled in Meru, where the first station at Kaaga in a region was gaining traction. The Kaaga station, at the last, would become a lasting springboard for the Methodist Mission to expand. It soon opened a number of stations and schools, culminating in the opening of a hospital at Maua. From this upturn, they hence mainly worked in mid and northern Meru. It is from also from Kaaga that the United Methodist Mission spread to cover the rest of Meru, including to Igembe in 1920, where their contribution to formal western education grew. Important to mention is that the then rural districts in East Africa such as Taita and Tana River had, upto this point, been represented almost entirely by missionaries. These mission stations would became and a precursor for the regions which were later taken over by colonial officials. As expected, the completion of the Uganda Railway in 1901 sped their expansion and, coupled with the general wave of European Missions entering Kenya and moving into the interior, pressed the Methodists to seek a foothold inland, at about the same time as other groups – Church Missionary Society (CMS), Church of Scotland Mission (CSM) and Catholic Consolata Missionaries – all embarking on the path of establishing the ‘modern’ Christian Church in hinterland Kenya. That is not to say that European intervention would not have occurred without the assistance of missions. In point of fact, Europe was already intensely interested in Africa during this period. The missions, however, had to accept the responsibility of giving colonialism a respectability which it would not have attained otherwise. One also ought to remember that the early missionary in the nineteenth century believed that European powers were the benefactors of Africa. They did not fully realize what the colonial movement, which they welcomed, would soon become. The domination by European, forced labour, land policies, colour bar and assault on African culture were yet to be seen. At Hola they would also set up a prison. You don’t have to be religious, or even spiritual, to enjoy a beautiful old church. The architecture, the stained glass, the history, and the famous graves all make visiting historic churches a fulfilling activity on any trip. Kenya has a lot of very old and lovely churches, and you can enter most of them free of charge, at any time. Index of Historic Churches in Kenya Baringo County - St. Swithin's Church , Elgeyo Marakwet County - Wewo Catholic Church , Homa Bay County - SDA Church Gendia , Asumbi Catholic Church , Isiolo County - St. Eusebius Cathedral , Kericho County - AIC Kericho , The Sacred Heart Cathedral , ACK Kericho , Kiambu County - St. Mary's of the Angels Church, All Saints Limuru, Watson Scott Memorial Church, PCEA Thogoto Mission Church, Kilifi County - Thomas Wakefield Memorial Methodist Church , The Portuguese Chapel , ACK Rabai Church , Kisumu County - St. Theresa’s Cathedral, Kitui County - AIC Ikutha , Lamu County - Lamu Catholic Church , Machakos County - AIC Mumbuni , Makueni County - AIC Kalamba , Kyale Catholic Church , Meru County - St. Joseph's Cathedral , Kaaga Methodist Church , Migori County - Komotobo Mission Church , Mombasa County - The ACK Mombasa Memorial Church , Holy Ghost Cathedral , ACK Emmanuel Church , Muranga County - Muranga St. James & All Martyrs Church , Tuthu Catholic Church , Nairobi County - St. Stephen Cathedral, St. Austins Cathedral, The All Saints Cathedral, Nakuru County - The Church of Goodwill Elementaita, Remembrance Church Njoro, Nyandarua County - Knessiah 7th Day Jewish Main Synagogue , Nyeri County - Tumu Tumu Hill Church, The Consolata Nyeri Cathedral, PCEA St Curthbert Church, Italian Memorial Church, Samburu County - Baragoi Catholic Mission , Siaya County - Rangala Catholic Church, Taita Taveta County - St. Marks Anglican Church , The Bura Mission Catholic Church , ACK Trinity Church Mahoo, Tana River County - Ngao Neukirchen Church , Hola Methodist Church , Tharaka Nithi County - PCEA Chogoria Church , Trans Nzoia County - St. Lukes Anglican Cathedral, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Vihiga County - Kidundu Friends Church , Kima Church of God , African Divine Church , West Pokot County - The Holy Cross Church Kacheliba , The Dini ya Roho Mafuta Pole ya Africa Tana River County is a rewarding destination for travelers interested in exploring off-the-beaten-path locations in Kenya. River Tana is the longest river in Kenya, flowing through the county and offering opportunities for riverine activities such as boat cruises, fishing, and birdwatching. Tana River County is home to the Orma and Pokomo ethnic groups, each with rich cultural traditions, music, and dances. You Are Here: Hola Methodist Church Where to Next? Explore Destinations Near Hola Methodist Church A Guide to Tana River County A Summa Digest of Tana River About Tana River Way Back When 28 Destinations in Tana River County , arranged as one would visit these - north to south - with the aid of narratives, images, strip maps and distance chart: Ngao Neukirchen Church , Lake Shakababo , Delta Dunes Lodge , Ozi Conservation Area , Tana River Lodge , Old Town Kipini , Ungwana Bay Ruins , Shaka Ruins , Mwana Ruins , Fumo Liyongo Shrine , Kipini Conservancy , Red Cliff Camp , River Tana Delta , Tana Delta Colonial Forts , Tana Delta Cultural Centre , Tana Primate National Reserve , Mchelelo Bandas , Ndera Conservancy , Mau Mau Hola Monument , Hola Methodist Church , Bura St. Jude , Bura Irrigation Scheme , Bura East Conservancy , Arawale National Reserve , George Adamson's Grave , Kora National Park , Adamson's Fall , Tana River Bridge Know More About Tana River County: Its Geography, Land-Use, Highlights, Population, Roads - including a distance chart, Airports, Climate & National Monuments What's The Air Like In T. River? Tana River has a hot and dry climate with average annual temperatures of 30 o C; the highest,41 o C, is in January-March and the lowest being 20 o  C in June-July. Rainfall is low, bi-modal, and erratic. What's The Lay Of The Land In C.04? The land generally sloping eastward, Tana River is all undulating plain that is only interrupted in a few places by low hills – at Bilibil and Bura. Know More About Tana River County…

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