Emily Awino Onyango is a Kenyan priest who became the first female

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

in the Anglican Church of Kenya in January 2021. Prior to becoming a bishop, she taught theology at St. Paul's University in Limaru, Kenya. She attended the founding conference for the

Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians The Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians is a pan-African Ecumenism, ecumenical organization supporting scholarly research of African women African theology, theologians. The Circle serves to mentor the next generation of African women th ...

in Ghana in 1989, and is a member of the Kenyan chapter of the Circle.

Early life and education

Onyango was born into a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

family. Onyango has a Bachelor of Divinity from Saint Paul's United Theological College in

Limuru Limuru is a town in central Kenya. It is also the name of a parliamentary constituency and an administrative division. The population of the town, as of 2004, was about 4,800. In a census taken in 2019 the population had increased to 159,314. Loc ...

(1983) and a Master's degree from the Asian Centre of Theological Studies. She completed a PhD in history from the

University of Wales The University of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ''Prifysgol Cymru'') is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff � ...

in 2006, where she worked under John M. Lonsdale on the history of women's education in Kenya. Her thesis was titled "Luo women's negotiation of mission education : a critical analysis of Anglican women in Nyanza, Kenya from 1895". She also has a certificate in ecumenism from the Ecumenical Institute of Graduate Studies in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

Career

Onyango was a lay reader at St Stephen's Cathedral in

Kisumu Kisumu ( ) is the List of cities and towns in Kenya by population, third-largest city in Kenya after the capital, Nairobi, and the coastal city of Mombasa (census 2019). It is the third-largest city after Kampala and Mwanza in the Lake Victor ...

before being appointed as a deacon in 1984. She was the second woman to be ordained a priest in the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) in 1986. In February 2018, she was appointed a Canon in Bondo Diocese. Onyango has taught at St John's School of Theology in Kokise and was lecturer, academic dean and Vice Principal at St Andrews College in Kabare. She is a lecturer in church history and theology at St Paul's University in

. Onyango was Dean of Students at St Paul's from 2000 to 2002. She is the chair of The Africa Centre for Biblical Equity, a Langham scholar and a founder of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians. She has written several articles and books on the history of theological education and women's education in Kenya.

Election as Bishop

Onyango was appointed assistant bishop of Bondo during the

Synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

of the Diocese of Bondo,

Siaya County Siaya County is one of the counties in the former Nyanza Province in the Western part of Kenya. It is bordered by Busia County to the north, Kakamega County and Vihiga County's to the northeast and Kisumu County to the southeast. It shares a wa ...

in January 2021. She is the first woman to hold the position of bishop in the ACK, after approval of a proposal to allow women to become bishops in 2013, the first female Anglican bishop in east and central Africa, and the fourth on the African continent. She will work with

David Kodiah The Rt Revd Professor David Kodiah is the second and current Anglican Bishop of Bondo, serving from 2017. Kodiah was educated at school in Kisumu; Charles University and Northwestern Christian University. He was Principal of St. Philips Theolo ...

in training clergy, as well as initiatives focused on ending

gender based violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner v ...

and encouraging child empowerment. Speaking after her appointment, she said, "I am thankful to be asked to participate in a well-structured pastoral ministry focusing on marriage, family and gender issues, including empowerment of widows. I particularly expect us to offer hope for those shackled by gender-based violence." Her appointment was challenged by six lay members of the synod, who argued Bishop Kodia had cajoled the synod into affirming her appointment and that the diocese was unable to afford an assistant bishop. A 2014 informal agreement of

GAFCON The Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (branded as GAFCON or Gafcon) is a global network of conservative Anglicanism, Anglican churches that formed in 2008 in response to an ongoing theological crisis in the worldwide Anglican Communion. ...

put a moratorium on the

ordination of women The ordination of women to ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain Christian traditions and most denominations in which "ordina ...

in certain provinces, however the Kenyan General Synod affirmed its support for women bishops in September 2019.

Personal life

Onyango is married to Apollo Onyango, a retired school teacher, and they have two adult children.

Publications

Books

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Articles

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oyango, Emily Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Alumni of the University of Wales 21st-century Anglican bishops of the Anglican Church of Kenya Anglican bishops of Bondo Women Anglican bishops Kenyan women writers Kenyan historians