It is a church whose congregants reads like who is who in Kenya. The church is jam packed every Saturday and Sunday with eager worshippers whose hunger for prosperity is fed by the Kuinas’ twisted gospel. Women, clocking their 30s and still single, find solace here. According to reports appearing on the interwebs, the impressionable women are made to believe they will find Mr Right if only they tithe some more. Welcome to the Jubilee Christian Church (JCC) under the stewardship of Bishop Allan Kiuna and his dotting wife Reverend Kathy Kiuna.
Unlike their contemporaries-the Kanyari’s et al-, the Kiunas’ imbue finesse as they preach with so much gusto the gospel of prosperity attracting a more sophisticated and moneyed class of worshippers. Their church has grown to be one of the most successful in Kenya. The couple oft repeated account of their journey to the top is inspiring-if not peppered with a little bit of half truths.
Mum, as Mrs Kiuna is known in JCC circles even among grown men, recounted in a past interview how they started evangelism in 1998 while living in someone’s house because rent was hard to come by. They slept on the floor with their two children. She said of their journey: “we started very small. People see this massive church of over 10,000 right now and they think that that’s how it is. But we started from a might long way. When we started we didn’t even have a home to live in ..” She went on to narrate how they were hosted by a widowed woman who allowed them and their two children to sleep on the floor. The story has since changed to that of rags to riches.
Churches under JCC
The growth of JCC has been phenomenal. They started out in a restaurant relying on borrowed seats to spreading their tentacles in other parts of Kenya and the diasporas.
JCC branches
Mombasa
Nakuru
Kisumu
Kitengela
Garissa
Machakos
In the diaspora
Atlanta
Dallas
Johannesburg
London
A story appearing in the Daily Nation (12 Dec 2017) titled ‘Keeping up with the kiunas and their jet setting lifestyle’, paint a picture of a church keen on wealthy worshipers at the expense of hustlers. A onetime worshipper told the publication of her experience at JCC: “They tell you to stand up when you’re a visitor. Then you’re taken somewhere to have tea. Then ask you what you do for a living. You say what title or what profession you are in. And they ask, ‘which company do you work for?’ And then they draw quick marks to see whether it’s in their best interest for them to invest people and time to inspire you to be coming to church….if you’re not an expatriate or you’re not working for a big company, they won’t invest so much time”, claimed the woman.
‘Mum’ has rubbished such claims saying ‘dad’-that’s the other name of Bishop Kiuna-grew up in the slums and they wouldn’t look down upon the less privileged. In an interview on Citizen TV, Kiuna said she would hop, step and jump on faeces outside his future husband house whenever she paid him a visit.
Property and Estimated worth of the Kiunas’
The couple lives large and share their lifestyles on social media platforms. In 2016, Mr Kiuna took to Instagram to show off a jet he was planning to acquire.
Cessna Citation X -$20.6 million (kes2.1 billion)
The Kiunas’ and controversy seem to go hand in hand. Mr Kiuna was bashed by social media users after he posted a photo of a private jet captioned: “Thank you very much wonderful people”. Rumor swirled around that JCC congregants had bought the man of cloth the Cessna Citation X jet. Speaking to eDaily, a blog associated with Royal Media Services, Bishop Kiuna confirmed he had acquired the jet but not using his congregants’ money. The plane ordered by Kiuna is a 1997 model whose value is placed at $20.6 million dollar (kes2.1 billion). It is not yet clear if the plane is in possession of the flamboyant pastor. He will join the likes of Nigerian pastor David Oyedepo and his South Africa Malawian pastor, Shepherd Bushiri, who own a fleet of private jets.
Home in Karen-kes 200 million (estimated)
Their stately house has a swimming pool, well manicured grounds befitting their status.
Fuel Guzzlers and High end Motorcycles-kes23 Million
The couple have a thing with powerful German machine. Having socialite tendencies, the couple shared photos of their Range Rover and Mercedes Benz. Mr Kiuna also has a motorbike.
Sources of Revenue
Book Sales-Unknown
The Kiunas have co-authored a number of books: Marriage Works, Living in Financial Distinction, Appointment with Destiny and Transformed Women (written by Kathy Kiuna). You can find the books on Amazon retailing for $15.
Tithes-kes5,000,000 per service (estimated)
It goes without saying the main source of income for the Kiunas’ is tithes from their congregants. With eleven churches, the tithe amounts to millions per service. JCC alone, with a capacity of 10,000 congregants, rakes in millions for the Kiunas’. Tithes forms a core ingredient of their service. One of Kathy’s tweet confirms this: “Tithing is an obedience issue. You cannot be a tither, a sincere tither and remain poor”, her tweet that elicited varied reactions read.
Net worth of the couple
The net worth of the Kiunas is between Kes5billion to Kes10 billion.
Interesting facts about the Kiunas’
Kathy Kiuna was a party girl.
Allan Kiuna was a slum dweller
They have three children
Kathy Kiuna hosts Women without Limits on NTV
Celebrities who attend JCC include-Willy Paul, Mercy Masika, Size, DJ More
