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Fidelis Munyoro Chief Court Reporter
The Mugodhi Apostolic Faith Church leadership wrangle continues at the High Court, with Vice Bishop Tonnie Sigauke seeking to operationalise a provisional order blocking the takeover of the church by the late founder Bishop Tandewu Mugodhi’s children.

The court order allowing Sigauke to assume the leadership role of the church, granted in September this year, a few weeks before the death of Bishop Tandewu, was suspended by the noting of an appeal.

Now the Sigauke leadership has approached the court, wanting to operationalise the injunction against Washington, Innocent and Enock Mugodhi pending the appeal.

The motion listing the trio as respondents is citing violation of the court order by the three.
Sigauke outlined why he wanted the matter to be heard urgently. He said if the interim order continues to be suspended, confusion and anxiety will continue to manifest within the church’s congregants. This, he said would likely lead to split as the church constitution continues to be violated.

“The second respondent’s (Washington) conduct in presenting himself as bishop causes confusion since there are already appointed vice bishops,” he argues.

“Further, the second respondent’s conduct in denying the applicant’s (the church) congregants access to the applicant’s premises is unlawful and is not in accordance with the applicant’s constitution.

“The second respondent is also planning to install himself as the bishop in January 2020, when already there are vice bishops who were duly appointed in terms of the constitution of the applicant, of which one of them will be due for installation as bishop. This has caused confusion and anxiety in the applicant’s congregation.”

Sigauke also accused the respondents of appealing against the decision of the lower court in a bid only to frustrate the church together with the acting bishop.

“The grounds of appeal are frivolous and vexatious, most of which lack particularity.
“In my view, the appeal has no merit at all,” he said.

“I am convinced that the applicant will suffer irreparable harm if the court does not abbreviate its processes and grant the applicant interim relief.”

In September, Justice Owen Tagu granted an order prohibiting Tandewu, who was terminally ill, from appointing Washington as acting vice bishop and to act on his behalf. The judge ruled that Tandewu’s move was a breach of the church’s constitution since the church already had a vice bishop. Tadewu later died of cancer in October at the age of 79. His sons are yet to file a response to the application.