First female Anglican Bishop in East and Central Africa.
Written by G Njuguna on March 27, 2022
Today we look at the story of one amazing female clergy by the name of Canon Emily Awino Onyango. She made history by becoming the first female Anglican Bishop in East and Central Africa.
When she was appointed Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Bondo. Cannon Emily’s appointment was unanimous by the special synod board of the diocese of Bondo.
She obtained her doctorate from the University of Wales in the United Kingdom and worked under Professor J Lonsdale on the history of women’s education in Kenya, a Master’s Degree from the Asian Centre of Theological Studies, and a Bachelor of Divinity from Saint Paul’s United Theological College.
Bishop Emily was appointed canon back in 2018 and had previously served in the children’s ministry in the then Diocese of Maseno South and as a deacon. Bishop
Emily is a senior lecturer at Saint Paul’s university where she teaches Church History in the Faculty of Theology.
She is the chair of The Africa Centre for Biblical Equity (TACBE) and as Assistant Bishop she was given the responsibilities of training clergy, women’s ministry within the Church, and gender issues, including the empowerment of boys and girls; and tackling gender-based violence.
Bishop Emily has also authored and edited different books and journals. Her books include For God and Humanity: 100 years of St. Paul’s United Theological College and Gender and Development: A History of Women’s Education in Kenya.
