Over the years, Kenyan Churches have become proactive in revenue sourcing, investing member and donor funds into various cash generating businesses such as real estate, hospitality, healthcare, education, and agriculture, among others.
In this article, WoK profiles high-end hotels in Kenya owned by churches.
1. Milele Beach Hotel
Milele Beach Hotel is a Non-Alcoholic, Non-Smoking Christian Hotel Located in the North Coast of Mombasa – along Mombasa-Malindi Highway. The luxurious facility is owned by the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA).
The church acquired the hotel from late former Coast Provincial Commissioner Eliud Mahihu in August 2007.
The hotel is located in the North Coast of Mombasa, 20 minutes’ drive from the City Centre. Set on nine acres of colorful tropical gardens overlooking the Indian Ocean, the hotel captures the traditional Swahili architecture with two swimming pools, white sandy beach and soothing breeze against the tropical palm trees.
In 2019, the church wrote to all its members across the 56 presbyteries asking them to save the Ksh1.7 billion hotel from auction. At the time, the church targeted raising Ksh13 million per month for two years straight to avert the financial crisis.
The church later explained to its members that the money invested would be converted to shares and that investors would earn dividends from profits made by the hotel.
Milele Beach Hotel boasts 72 guest rooms, 10 fully furnished apartments, a roof top restaurant with a capacity of 300, 5 conference halls, and 2 swimming pools.
2. ACK Guest House Mombasa
ACK Guest House Mombasa is a Christian centre of excellence for business and leisure located on the south coast, 400 meters from the Likoni ferry crossing, along Shelly beach road. The hotel is well situated with the cool breeze from the Indian Ocean and in a quiet christian aromatic atmosphere.
The hotel offers exceptional services, catering to various needs, including romantic honeymoon getaways, well-curated holiday packages, and specialized rates for students on educational tours.
The church also owns the ACK Guest House in Nairobi, located about 4 kilometres from Nairobi National Museum.
3. Elysian Resort, Nairobi
Located off the Northern Bypass in Kiambu, about 15km from Nairobi, the Ksh500 million hotel is owned by the Catholic Diocese of Murang’a. It was opened in September 2018.
The hotel sits on five acres of land and had an extra two and half acres adjacent to it.
The diocese originally intended to build a Christian retreat centre or rental houses, but eventually settled on a commercial retreat and conference centre.
The initial phase comprised conference rooms with a potential to accommodate over 350 people as well as over 42 rooms elegantly furnished in natural tones and with a distinct African touch.
The resort also has a contemporary restaurant, a bar, a coffee shop, a poolside restaurant, a high-tech gym, and an amazing kid’s park.
4. Adventist LMS Guest House & Conference Centre
Adventist LMS Guest House & Conference Centre is a Seventh-day Adventist Church Institution run by East Kenya Union Conference. Its inauguration was done by Elder Robert S. Folkenberg the then President of General Conference on May 12, 1998, as a training facility for literature evangelists. This initial objective is reflected in the initials ‘LMS’ standing for Literature Ministry Seminary.
Located along Jakaya Kikwete Road in Nairobi City, the guest house is known for its vegetarian restaurant well known for elaborate food varieties.
The Centre has since grown to be an institution of choice for both Adventists and Non-Adventists a like. At the time of inauguration, the institution had 39 accommodation rooms, 4 conference halls and 2 lounges.
The facility has since extended to a new block called South Wing with 16 additional more rooms and a large conference hall that can hold up to 200 pax. The South wing was opened on November 25, 2007, by Pr Geoffrey Mbwana, the then East Central Africa Division President and current vice president of the General Conference.
According to a report by The Standard in August 2019, the church also owns the East Kenya Union building that also has shares in a multi-million shilling property in Nairobi’s Lavington Estate and several parcels of land in Mombasa County.
The church also owns Matutu Complex located in Nyamira County.
5. The Methodist Resort
The Methodist resort is owned by the Kenya Methodist Church and is located in Lavington, Nairobi taking pride in being one of the most sought-after hotels in the city.
The hotel also serves as a main conference centre in Nairobi and is ideally situated at approximately five kilometres from the city centre.
The resort also offers 100 classy designed en-suite rooms, 12 conference rooms that will cater for all the visitors, a 25-metre swimming pool with a kids section and a state of the art gym and spa facility.
The facility also has three beautiful lush gardens that are perfect for events such as weddings.
The Kenya Methodist Church start traces back to the 1860s initiated by the early missionaries.
6. Hampton House
Hampton House guesthouse is owned and operated under the hospices of the Baptist Mission of Kenya. Due to government tax regulations, the hotel only accommodates Christian Missionaries and Christian Missionary Volunteer groups.
Amenities at the facility include;
- Ensuite Bathroom
- with full size bath tub
- Solar Powered Hot Water
- 4 burner stove tops
- Electric Oven
- Refrigerator
- Toaster
- Microwave
- Wifi
- Large luggage storage space in each room
- Fans
- Dining Area
- Children’s Playroom
- Adult Lounge
- Satellite TV in Playroom and Lounge
- Laundry Room for guest use with Washer and Dryer
- Taxi Service
- Kiosk located at Reception with basic toiletry and food items (and Dr. Pepper!)
- Children’s playground
- Basketball Court
- 3 Outdoor Dining areas
- BBQ grills
