The consecration of Onyango—59 years old—comes 32 years after the election of Bishop Barbara Harris in the Episcopal Church in Massachusetts in the USA. Harris was the first woman bishop in the worldwide Anglican Communion, while Onyango is the second female Anglican bishop in Africa after Bishop Ellinah Wamukoya of the Anglican Church in Southern Africa. Wamukoya was elected in 2012.
“The journey to join the ministry has been a long one with wonderful memories such as the fear that I would not manage to carry the Chalice and administer Holy Communion. (I) am grateful to my family, my late parents…. and…. sisters and brothers…. who provided all the support I needed to grow in ministry,” said Onyango in her acceptance speech.
She said the bishop had appointed her as an assistant to help build a vibrant and well-managed church in line with the diocese’s vision and mission.
“It’s a great challenge, but I want to do things in a different way to bring about change,” Onyango, mother of two, said. “I hope my work can inspire more women to take leadership in the church.”
Dr Emily Awino Onyango has broken a record. She is the first female bishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) in East and Central Africa. A crown bestowed on her when the church recently appointed her assistant bishop in the Diocese of Bondo.https://t.co/Q1pOInia02
— Nation Africa (@NationAfrica) March 11, 2021