Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae, October 2010, 36(2), 73-93 The early attempts at ecumenical co-operation in East Africa: the case of the Kikuyu Conference of 1913 Julius Gathogo 1 Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Kenyatta University, Mombasa Campus, Kenya Abstract Kikuyu 1913 was the first fully fledged conference on the unity of the Church in what was then British East Africa – today’s Kenya. Although there were other meetings, such as Maseno 1908, Kijabe 1909 and Nairobi 1911, the Kikuyu Conference of 1913 was the most significant, because it had the potential to abolish spheres of influence that confined the missionary societies in their various geographical zones. Characteristically, the Conference was marred by theo-doctrinal controversies. At the top of the list was the so-called Westonian controversy (Bishop Frank Weston of the Church Mission Society, Zanzibar, protested against any attempts to administer the Eucharist to non-Anglicans). Other doctrinal controversies included questions concerning the sacrament of baptism. So how successful was Kikuyu 1913 in its bid to promote ecumenical cooperation in British East Africa? Does this Conference have any real legacy? How relevant is the Kikuyu Conference of 1913 to our contemporary situation in Africa? In its methodology, this article attempts to analyse various issues in order to assess the success of this important conference in the history of the ecumenical movement in East Africa and beyond. Introduction The Rev Dr Johann Ludwig Krapf can be regarded as the pioneer missionary in Eastern Africa, following his arrival at Rabai in the coastal city of Mombasa in 1844. Despite being a German and a Lutheran priest, he was sent to East Africa by a British missionary agency, the Church Missionary 1 Dr Julius Mutugi Gathogo is a post Doctoral Research Fellow in the School of Religion and Theology, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. He is also a lecturer in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies of Kenyatta University, Mombasa Campus. PO Box 16778–80100 Mombasa, Kenya. Email: jgathogom@yahoo.con or jumgathogo@yahoo.com .