Historic Churches in Tana River Ngao Neukirchen Church: The Unsung Relic From old city towns, forts to churches, there are countless bits of history dotted around Tana River County. 85 km north of Malindi via B8 Road to Garissa, taking a right turn across from the Tana River Pastoralists Development Organization, you make your to Ngao village, reached in 12 km. It is 10 km from Golbanti, the next large village. Nearby Ngao District Hospital, within a bucolic setting, hidden in a grove of tall palms, is the old Ngao Neukirchen Church. Big church, small village! Its design and gaudiness, far removed from the rural outlook, makes you pause and marvel. A projecting portico with a steeple topped by a cross ushers you into the large nave. The walls of the large holding are simple, amped with a roughcast finish, elaborately molded and decorated. Sadly in disuse and partially ruined, the large cross now fallen, and in major need of attention, this old church built from 1904-1906 by the Neukirchen Mission is a forgotten relic with an important part to play in the history of churches in Kenya. A treasure box full of poignant moments. In the late 19th century, several missionary organizations dared the backwoods of Tana River: United Methodist Missionary Society (UMMS), German Neukirchen Mission (GNM), Holy Ghost Fathers (HGF) and Swedish Mission, arriving in that order. The pioneers, UMMS, arrived in 1863. It is important to note that this surge of missioners was a forerunner of the nations of Europe taking interest in Africa. Setting up of mission stations in hinterland Kenya would become as efficacious for the extension of their influence as the establishment of new colonial stations. From 1880 Britain and Germany began to take an interest in East Africa. In the 1880s German merchants began to be active in the coast towns and formerly made treaties with the chiefs of the hinterland. In 1885 the German Government, who were intent on establishing a colonial policy, gave the Society of German Colonisation, which had acquired these treaty rights, a charter of protection. This era begins the partitioning of East Africa and its take over by Britain and Germany. The lengthy negotiations with the influnciall Busaidi of Zanzibar to grant territories to both parties along the coast, with the result that the Sultan had no practical authority on the coast, created a complicated situation north of Tana River. The Germans had a protectorate over Witu, and claimed the country north, upto Juba. Territory disputes between Germany and Britain need be only briefly mentioned here, for few of them were concerned directly with Tana River area that remained practically unknown long after the more distant regions of the interior had been explored. The earliest travellers rarely traversed the hinterland of the East Coast and, when they did so, generally avoided what were then German territories. The presence of Germans at Witu as was the antecedent legends of Johann Krapf inspired the German Neukirchen Mission (GNM) to venture into Tana River. During his whole life Krapf had a singular mania for the Gallas (or Orma). He baptized the country between River Tana and Juba Gallaland, a designation that did not endure. In discussing the probable mission of the Gallas in the schema of events, stated that he considered them destined by providence, after their conversion, to attain the eminence and fulfill the mission that Heaven had pointed out to the Germans. At Tana River, as was in Lamu, German influence in religious bodies was strong, for missionary activity began before the political divisions were created, and did not follow exactly the same East Africa lines. Still, the German Neukirchen Mission faced a great task in their mission to Tana River. As it were, the least promising tribes to convert to Christianity were those near the coast and along Tana River northerly. They had been in touch with Europeans and missionaries longer than other regions, with very little result. Outside Witu were the Galla (Orma) villages. The Galla, once the dominant race in this region in the 19th century, were driven southwards by the reprisals of the Somalis, and they were, by 1900, insignificant. In instead the Pokomo tribe became the focal group. Still, the climate at Ngao was surprisingly pleasant and mosquitoes comparatively rare. The river banks were raised and not swampy, although irrigation was not easy and viable to a restricted extent. And thus, in 1887, Inspector Stursberg authorized the dispatch of a mission up Tana River region under Reverend Ferdinand Wurtz. Up and to, the expedition located Ngao, a Pokomo village a few miles above the Methodist post at Golbanti. The German Neukirchen Mission pioneers soon opened up a post at Ngao. Since this post was actually on the land granted to Methodists, a dispute arose. It was settled by a division of land. In 1895, an official three-month tour of the area was done, carefully taking down all the details, to estimate the number of the people living in each particular town. The report found the Gallas to be just about 5,000 while the population of the Pokomo was about 14,760; obviously revealing that there were more Pokomo than there were of Galla; An early indication that the Methodists were working among very few residents scattered over a vast area. Henceforth, work among the Pokomo was left to the German Neukirchen Mission. At this stage the Methodists had still not contemplated opening any station among the Wapokomo, although they were later issued permission to work among them. From 1897, after getting impatient with the lack of enthusiasm of the Wagalla, who were not showing signs of progression, showing dangerous signals of collapse, they left Ngao, now resolutely under the aegis of the German Neukirchen Mission. The foremost Wapokomo Christians received baptism on Easter Sunday of 1899. A salient feature of German Neukirchen Mission that made it stand out among other mission groups was the fact that they never baptized children, but preferred to baptize grownups who had learnt to read and write. Another tenet was the belief that converts into Christianity needed to be separated from non-believers, to protect them from being swayed back into heathen practices. This was known as congregational doctrine. It is for this reason that the missionaries initially lived with the pioneer converts in Reverend Wurtz’s missionary house on the Ngao Hill. Reverend Wurtz was been joined in the following years by an army of dedicated missionaries that included: Reverend Anna M. Weber, August Kraft, Christine Sonnischen, Wilhelm Schmidt, Reverend Becker, Wilhelm May, Captain Steubing, Herman Muller, Fritz Gissel and Hannah Gissel. In line with the universal model of leading education to achieve the desired results of strengthening Christianity, the mission envisioned schools. None, perhaps, had imagined the desirable outcome. Fanciful, considering German Neukirchen Mission, unlike other missionaries, were inter-denominational, evangelical in nature, and they funded their own activities. The novel-eminent converts living with the Germans became very instrumental in helping the mission expand, teaching and translating the Bible. For many years, Wurtz’s house served both as a church as well as a classroom. Before long, the pioneer converts were built houses in or around the compound of a small church, built in 1893. Classes were moved there to billet the growing number of people turning up for baptismal classes. In 1900 a school was built, so that teaching did not have to be done in the church. And, surprisingly, the Pokomo were found to be religious and reverent with a genius for worship and a capacity for adoration, leaving no choice but to build a large church to house the big number of converts. At the last, the work of German Neukirchen Mission building an education system in Tana River would become their greatest legacy, surpassing any work by many other groups in hinterland Kenya, regional challenges notwithstanding. In 1914, at the onset of World War I, German Neukirchen Mission work was transferred to British camps in India. Effectively, work among the Pokomo had to be stopped, temporarily. In 1916 the care of their field of operation fell upon, again, to United Methodist Missionary Society, who had previously disbanded their operations to Mazeras. With much hesitation, in 1923, they sent Reverend B.J Ratcliffe to Ngao. German Neukirchen Mission returned in 1926 under the caveat that this sphere of operation now fell permanently upon United Methodist Missionary Society, since any of their efforts to go back were strongly rejected by the authorities. They were again deported in 1939 with the onset of World War II. The turn of events made it impossible for United Methodist Missionary to wash its hands of the responsibility to evangelize the Tana. This, in many ways, explains why this church is associated with the Methodist Mission. Nonetheless, the German Neukirchen Mission on its endeavours in education, with remarkable progress made, is still outstanding. The 1920/21 Tana River District Annual Report indicates that there were no less than 20 mission schools where the Pokomo learnt reading, writing and the facets of the Christian Religion. Onwards and upwards the District Annual Reports of 1933 to 1939 consistently indicated that the only education offered in Tana River was by the German Neukirchen Mission. Then and now, this was an achievement. It will be remembered that the German Neukirchen Mission returned to Tana River in 1926 after their deportation in 1914 and would again be forced to leave in 1939. Another contribution to education in Tana River district by the German Neukirchen Mission was drawing grants-in-aid from the Government to the region which could only be released if an area had a missionary organization in operation. And as the fast pace of developments in education in Tana River district faced an abrupt setback when WWII broke out in 1939, the foundation laid by German Neukirchen Mission influenced education in the region for several years long after the NMG had been deported and grants to the mission schools continued even after their departure; 12 schools were being maintained. NMS was allowed back in the late 1960s after Kenya attained independence, to pick up where they left off. In 1986, Ngao Secondary School was established to fulfill German Neukirchen Mission cherished dream to introduce a secondary school of national status. The brainchild of this dream was German educationist Herman Muller who came to Tana River as a missioner cum teacher in the 1930s. Indeed, Ngao Girls Secondary School was given national school status in 2014. The persistence, using Ngao as the sling base in Tana River in all the years they operated in the region, had paid off. After independence, of all primary schools in existence in Tana River County, 90% of them had been started and streamlined by German Neukirchen Mission. In fact, the four prominent secondary schools in Tana River County, Tarasaa, Hola, Wenje and Ngao, were developed out of German Neukirchen Mission initiatives. It achieved this even after being deported twice during WWI and WWII. This was also in spite of sundry hardships and challenges which forced the other Christian missionary organizations including the Swedish Mission and Holy Ghost Fathers to vacate the area to other more friendly areas. To make matter worse, the British officials shied off from the area, perhaps for its perceived demerits of expedient and direct economic gains. Tana River remained marginalized well into the 1980s. 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: Ngao Neukirchen Church Where to Next? Explore Destinations Nearby Ngao Neukirchen 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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