An Anglican church near Lake Victoria has been demolished, in a dispute over land titles in Kenya.

ACK Mbita Parish Church, Homa Bay County, was destroyed and fenced off by a group with a rival claim to the land, as reported by The Living Church (TLC). 

Bishop of Southern Nyanza, Rt Rev Simon Onyango, said the National Land Commission allocated the land to the church in 1985, with an allotment letter in 1991 reiterating this. 

“It’s not fair, how can people that God created demolish his house without fearing any consequences?” Bishop Simon told TLC. 

Churchgoers are continuing to meet on the land next door, in the open air, following the incident in February. The Church is taking legal action to regain the site and seeking compensation for the destruction of the site. 

Property boundaries and deeds in Nyanza have been frequently contested, according to local news site Mjengo Hub. There has been suggestion fraudsters have targeted community sites, taking advantage of gaps in the post-colonial national land tenure system. 

While an Anglican official told TLC that all dioceses in Kenya have been affected, this is the first time a church has been demolished. A Catholic church in Homa Bay has also been involved in a similar dispute.