New Bishop elected for the Diocese of Tarime

From Tanzania- ACNS

The General Secretary of the Anglican Church of Tanzania Dr Mwita Akiri (50) has been elected to be the first Bishop of the Diocese of Tarime (east of Lake Victoria and west of Serengeti National Park) within the Anglican Church of Tanzania.

The election was carried out by a special Electoral Synod which consisted of all clergy and lay representatives from 28 parishes in the new Diocese of Tarime numbering 79 in total, of which 77 delegates voted for Dr Akiri. The election took place on Thursday 8 April 2010 at St Luke’s Anglican Church in Tarime town and District, Mara Region. The election was chaired by Bishop Charles Ngusa of the Diocese of Shinyanga on behalf of the Archbishop of Tanzania. Also present was Rev Bethuel Mlula, the Acting Administrative Office of the Anglican Church of Tanzania Head Office in Dodoma who assisted Bishop Ngusa. The Anglican Diocese of Tarime has been carved from the Diocese of Mara.

Following his election, Dr Akiri will be consecrated and enthroned as Bishop on Sunday 4th July 2010 at St Luke’s Anglican Church in Tarime. Anyone who wish to congratulate Dr Akiri may do so through his own email address: akiri@anglican.or.tz, or by fax to +255 26 23 24 565.

Dr Mwita Akiri was born on 19th March 1960 at Kigunga Village in Rorya District in Mara Region. He did his secondary education at Nsumba Secondary School in Mwanza city south of Lake Victoria from 1976 to 1979. In a general government training allocation, he was offered a place to study accounts at Cooperative College in Shinyanga in 1980 but declined the offer. Instead he heard God’s calling and joined church ministry.

He first served as an evangelist before joining St Philip’s Theological College, Kongwa in Dodoma to train for ordination from 1982 to 1985. He was made Deacon in August 1985 in the Diocese of Victoria Nyanza and served at St John’s Cathedral Church in Musoma while also offering administrative assistance to the first Bishop of Mara. He was ordained Priest in December 1985 in the Diocese of Mara and became the Parish Priest of Mogabiri Parish outside Tarime town from 1985-1988.

More here-

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/digest/index.cfm/2010/4/16/New-Bishop-elected-for-the-Diocese-of-Tarime