Christmas: Rare Moments as Kenyan Church Celebrates Birth of ‘Black Messiah’
- Worshippers of the Legion Maria movement in western Kenya gathered on Christmas Day to celebrate what they describe as the birth of a “Black Messiah"
- The movement, founded in the mid-20th century, teaches that Jesus Christ reincarnated as an African man to bring salvation in a form Africans could fully understand
- Legion Maria joins a long list of African religious movements that reinterpret Christianity through local history and identity
Legit.ng's Muslim Muhammad Yusuf is a 2025 Wole Soyinka Award-winning journalist with over 8 years of experience in investigative reporting, human rights, politics, governance and accountability in Nigeria.
Worshippers of a Kenyan religious movement, Legion Maria, marked Christmas in an unusual way as they gathered to celebrate what they describe as the birth of a “Black Messiah” in western Kenya.
The celebration took place in a small candlelit room where members, dressed mostly in white, prayed before a photograph of Mama Maria, an African woman who co-founded the movement.
Source: Getty Images
The group observed Christmas outside mainstream Christian traditions.
Earlier, AFP reporters met a man who identified himself as a prophet, Stephen Benson Nundu. He was seen carrying a framed photograph of Baba Simeo Melchior, regarded by followers as the “Black Messiah,” depicted with clasped hands and a large medallion around his neck.
“Today is a great day, because the Mary gave birth to King Jesus in the world of Black people,” Nundu said.
Legion Maria, also known as Legio Maria in the Luo language spoken by many of its members, was officially founded in 1966.
However, the movement traces its origins to around 1938, when it says a “mystic woman” appeared to Roman Catholics with messages about “the incarnation of the son of God as a black man.”
"Returned son of God"
One of the movement’s founders, Simeo Ondetto — later known as Baba Simeo Melchior — is described by followers as the “returned son of God” and the group’s “eternal spiritual leader.”
The movement claims millions of followers in Kenya and across at least eight other African countries, including Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Speaking to AFP during the Christmas celebration in Nzoia, one of the movement’s worship centres, the deputy head of the church, Timothy Lucas Abawao, dismissed claims that Legion Maria is a cult.
“A cult essentially is an organisation that believes in the leader. But we believe in Jesus Christ, and we believe in God,” Abawao said.
He explained that followers believe Christ returned in African form to reach Black people more directly.
“Baba Messiah came for Africans,” he said, adding that members believe he is “truly Jesus Christ.”
“He took on the colour of the Black man so that the Black man could understand him in his own language and receive salvation,” Abawao added.
Legion Maria is not the only African religious movement associated with a Black messianic figure.
The history
In South Africa, followers of Isaiah Shembe believe he received divine instructions in 1913 to establish the Nazareth Baptist Church, with many viewing him as a messianic figure. Shembe died in 1935, but his church still has millions of followers.
In the former Belgian Congo, Simon Kimbangu is believed to have performed miraculous healings in 1921, leading to the formation of the Kimbanguist Church.
He was later imprisoned by colonial authorities for 30 years until his death in 1951.
In Nigeria, the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star regards its founder, the late Olumba Olumba Obu, as the “Holy Spirit” and the “Triune God,” according to the group’s teachings.
Another Legion Maria follower, Odhiambo Ayanga, said the belief reflects God’s universality rather than exclusion.
“As he came for the white, he also came for the black,” Ayanga said. “He went for the Asian, as he went for other races; God came for us all. That’s why in Africa, he has to be Black.”
Why do people wear red hats during Christmas?
The red hat worn during Christmas, known as the Santa hat, has become a global symbol of celebration, commonly seen at parties and public spaces during the holiday season.
The tradition is linked to Santa Claus, whose origins are traced to Saint Nicholas, a fourth-century Christian figure known for kindness and generosity.
This has led many people to ask what the connection is between this red hat and Christmas. And who is Santa? In this article by the BBC, answers to these questions are provided.
Source: Legit.ng
