The 55-year-old died suddenly while undergoing treatment for Covid-19 related complications while hospitalised in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Rev Kaniah became PCEA’s Secretary General in 2015 and was due to step down from this role next year. In June 2019, he was one of a number of overseas delegates from around the world who were welcomed to PCI’s General Assembly in Belfast.
In his letter of condolence to PCEA’s Moderator, Rt Rev Dr Julius G Mwamba, Dr Bruce said, “There is so much that could be said about Rev Kaniah’s life, witness, leadership and godly influence and it has been our privilege to have partnered with him in the mission of Christ’s Kingdom, especially over these past five years in his role as Secretary General…
“On behalf of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, I would like to extend deepest sympathy to Rev Kaniah’s family, to our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, and to all who mourn his passing. May you know the Lord’s comfort and encouragement at this time of great loss.”
The Presbyterian Church of East Africa is one of PCI’s longest established partnerships. The relationship with this church began in the mid-1960s, just after Kenya’s independence from the UK. The country is also home to five PCI global mission workers, and their families, who are engaged in a range of projects connected with the PCEA.
On his 14-day overseas tour of the country as Moderator, back in February of this year, Dr William Henry spent time with PCI’s global mission workers and met senior members of PCEA, including the late Rev Kaniah.
Ordained in 1997, Rev Kaniah served the Church in parish ministry, holding various offices at local presbytery level, and as director of PCEA’s men’s fellowship, before becoming Secretary General in 2015.
Rev Uel Marrs, PCI’s Secretary to the Council for Global Mission recalls, “I first met Rev Kaniah in the mid-1990’s when he was setting out on studies for ministry at PCEA’s Pastoral Institute, later to become the Presbyterian University of East Africa, where I was on the teaching staff.
“He was a student of the highest calibre, clearly destined for a significant leadership role in the life of the church. Our paths did not cross again until he took up his appointment as Secretary General, and since that time we had been corresponding and meeting together on a regular basis. It was, indeed, a privilege to have worked with him. My lasting memory will be of a servant of God with a tremendous passion for mission, whether breaking down barriers, or crossing boundaries both tribal and national, and all fuelled by a tireless commitment to prayer.”
Photo: Dr William Henry is pictured outside the headquarters of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa in Nairobi on his overseas tour as Moderator in February with Rev Peter Kaniah (left) and PCEA’s Moderator, Rt Rev Dr Julius G Mwamba.