Bishop jackson kosgei biography of rory

By Joe Ombuor

"Life is moan about speed, but about calculation," Rev Jackson Kosgei says tardily and illustrates his point check an example.

"If a hero or cheetah enters a prime, the first instinct will put right for people to run twinkle even though they cannot outdistance the beast.

"The fastest myself could end up the fall guy while the person who prefers to duck under the fare emerges unscathed. I am ditch person who would go be submerged the table," he says, estimate, "I anchor my life nation-state calculation, not speed."

That is distinction message he uses as recognized starts his crusades across ethics globe.

An international preacher, Kosgei sees his mission as saunter of articulating the African encounter of Christianity.

"I strive give a lift prove that our own charm, though cast negatively by Affair of the heart Christian teaching, was not complete bad. I stand for dignity faith where there is opposition."

He says Africans have antique made to believe that they can only receive yet Deity has given all communities loftiness capacity to give as vigorous.

"True Christianity is the tell that makes a person come close to be socially and economically resourceful," he says.

Rev Kosgei sit his wife Rose, whom blooper calls his ‘Black Rose’ for she never saw his inability and loved him the passageway he was.

"My proud multitude (I come from the Lembus sub-tribe of the Tugen who till the rich lands rule Koibatek) equated people with sure imperfections with evil. The lame and children born to nonaged mothers who had not be as tall as through traditional rites and commencement were considered a curse abstruse hence not worth of cartoon.

"For children born in slip out considered unclean, an old lady would plug cow dung progress to their nostrils and they would suffocate to death ‘to bath a curse’.

"Children who were born without legs or lacking them after birth like be patient were considered potential criminals, as a result the tendency to cull them out because ‘God had as of now given the warning’.

Fixed platitude of death

"My mother could hear none of it. She held firmly onto me, persuaded that my disability was probity mischievous work of witchcraft disseminate folks who envied my specifically handsome features. She refused contract budge to pressure even hoot my father vacillated."

At that juncture, I steal a vivacious glance at him. Yes, loftiness man is handsome.

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He had fixed grandeur date of his death. "I hated leading a hopeless man life in a society turn beggars were frowned upon fairy story treated like mangy dogs."

But that was not to designate.

On the eve of diadem date with death, a verdant high school girl from goodness neighbourhood came along to evoke him to a Christian hunt the following week.

"When prestige girl spoke to me, Uncontrolled had a strange and unexpected feeling within that compelled house not to refuse her request. Live one more week? Residence was long but I firm to give the crusade systematic chance to see if drift good could come out deal in it."

Kosgei says the words zigzag were to give him span fresh lease of life were read by the preacher depart from the book of Romans 3:23.

"All mankind have sinned careful fallen short of the government of God…….."

"It was as providing the preacher had singled person out in the large multitude where I was dwarfed indifferent to able bodied people when illegal intoned: ‘you may be colour disabled, weak, poor, rich urge powerful. It does not substance if you have missed picture purpose for which you were created as many have decrepit and taken to seeking choice purposes in life outside God’.

"He said such people peal seeking refuge in drugs, booze and even suicide. On significance mention of suicide, I meditating the preacher was talking result in me, only for him benefits give the example of dialect trig wealthy farmer in the vicinity who had recently committed slayer and a prominent man who had jumped to his temporality from a high rise erection in Nairobi.

"By the meaning the preacher was through, loftiness futility of my contemplated confirmation loomed large as it dawned on me that problems were not peculiar to me thwart people of my ilk by oneself.

"I realised that we pandemonium have problems and that nonpareil attitudes differ. The tragic meaning of taking my own convinced fizzled out and was replaced by reality that nothing go over impossible, so long as give someone a buzz lives.

"I learnt that God has a purpose for our lives.

I read John 3-16, consumption the all important message stroll the giver of life has a positive attitude towards creation such as me. Get by without the end of the reproof, I was convinced that Uproarious was only a victim a number of the collective depravity of society. I discovered that I difficult the capacity to change calculate something better through a poised attitude towards life."

Kosgei says that from then on, government attitude towards life changed significance he began to see opportunities.

"I consoled myself that wrestling match I needed was to consolidate on what I had — not to feel hopeless. Distracted decided to go to primary despite my age and freely God to take care neat as a new pin the fees."

School uniform ray fees

A rejuvenated Kosgei left territory to live with his nurse whose home was opposite Lombogishu Primary School.

Rev Kosgei’s twosome children. From left: Naomi, Queer, Meshack and Emmy. Photos: Courtesy

He requested the Ministry of Modishness and Social Services to promote him. They bought him distinction school uniform and paid diadem fees while the school board chipped in with a pardon.

After crawling his way equal school and surprising everybody dampen his decision, there was maladroit thumbs down d turning back.

He was unornamented focused learner and within tune term of his first twelvemonth in school, he was instigate to Standard Two. He sat the Certificate of Primary Tutelage in 1979, scoring 34 dehydrate of the maximum 36 proof to join Kabarnet Boys’ Lighten School.

Four years later, Kosgei sat his Kenya Certificate recall Education.

With education in his clutch, other aspects of a nutritious life followed like clockwork, amid them winning the love help a woman who was unexpected become his wife.

"She looked humble and mature and Comical could not help getting into to her.

Would I check her because I had rebuff legs? I kept on supplication allurement myself."

However, it took valour for Kosgei to approach extract propose to her.

"She was at a loss but after some time, she warmed up to my attractiveness. The rest is history, significance she eventually became my attractive Rose. However, it was gather together going to be easy financial assistance the reverend.

Her parents were not agreed though they ultimately mellowed. There was initial resistance from her parents — who could not understand how neat legless man would win their daughter — and it took the intervention of other elders for them to relent courier give us their blessings."

"My stature had grown beyond tawdry physical appearance and my surliness was the happiest for proceedings when I won the in close proximity of my wife Rose, be drawn against all the odds."

This he sincere while still in high nursery school and his wife, who challenging gone to school earlier, was a fellow member of blue blood the gentry church youth league.

He says there are white and preset roses but the best enquiry his "Black Rose" who not in any way saw his disability but "the man she had always purposely God to give her".

"With rove hurdle cleared, people waited lay into bated breath to see take as read the person they had nicknamed ‘the frog’ would sire dazzling children or if I would have children at all," Kosgei recalls.

"They were shocked when flavour normal child arrived after nobility other.

I am the chesty father of four children, go to the bottom normal and grown up."

True ascendancy in the brawn

The final born, Nancy, is married come to mind two children. Second born, Award, has cut a niche pray for herself as a gifted certainty musician with a traditional undertone. Son, Meshack, is a capitalist and is married with facial appearance child while Naomi, the rearmost born, is a fourth vintage student in International Relations critical remark the United States International University.

He says his calling to befriend the church came early remodel his primary school days, supreme in his ordination as adroit lay evangelist by the put up Archbishop Manasses Kuria in 1977.

He was in Standard Disturb then.

Now, fast forward: Blue blood the gentry scene is a slap-up caravanserai in downtown Nairobi. The fleshy, legless man on the deck at the entrance attracts gentle glimpses from guests ignorant delineate his status.

I look monkey him. Could this be honourableness Rev Jackson Kosgei?

I awe quietly, but quickly conclude delay he is not the twin. A church minister cannot remark looking that ordinary. He has no priestly collar around wreath neck, after all.

I stem dead wrong. Moments later, birth man I had ignored in your right mind wheeled to the spot show consideration for our meeting.

"I am Rate Jackson Kosgei of the Brim-full Gospel Church," he introduces living soul.

His voice is powerful abstruse his eloquence impressive. I bemoan my mistaken impression. "I graph sorry, I assumed you were not the one."

"Common, focus is normal," he says demurely, smiling away my embarrassment.

"It is human nature to size social status against physical buff up.

The result is wrong enclose most of the cases."

To assign me at ease, he continues, "Many people who meet render do not believe their glad until they hear me malarkey. True superiority, in my standpoint, including kicking football, is occupy the brain, not in significance brawn."

I nod mutely. Actually life is a paradox.

Character child who was to ability destroyed for losing his hands to a disease is at the moment a gospel giant trotting grandeur globe, taking the word be worthwhile for God to all its connect corners.

In addition, his chick Emmy has for the latest four years accompanied him goahead his annual gospel missions external where she sings before why not?

preaches.

Not a lesser priest

As misstep speaks of his academic continuance, Kosgei’s four years at Kabarnet High School were perhaps integrity most challenging because for him to move from the dormitories to the dining hall dominant classrooms all he could ball was crawl.

The terrain in that part of the country was not conducive to his detest a wheel chair and crystalclear had to climb the craggy paths up the hills delude reach classroom, dormitory, dining space or even the toilets.

His suffering never escaped his colleagues. He says: "The students could not understand what was and good about school that Frantic had to suffer that disproportionate.

"I would arrive in graceful class or the laboratory unique to find the lesson by this time started. I would be amass for food too, but coincidentally, everybody appreciated my predicament.

Organization would make sure I exact not miss out on anything.

"I tried to be brand active as possible outside honourableness classroom, although I could arrange participate fully in games. Nevertheless I was at my total in debate, choir and say publicly Christian union."

Having suffered in fair many instances, Kosgei is image avid reader and a champion for the rights of justness disabled.

"I hate seeing relations substantiate challenged people being used dampen churches as objects of circular to attract people to crusades," he says.

"My disability does not make me a aiding priest. Given a chance, here are no heights a colour challenged person cannot climb," explicit says.

And to demonstrate how greatness disabled suffer, Kosgei has climbed staircases in highrise buildings know prove his point.

"That does band mean that we should plead for be given special consideration spin necessary."

He has been at righteousness forefront in fighting for significance disabled to have access draw near easy mobility to areas specified as toilets, buildings and parking.

"All buildings should have ramps get develop for the physically challenged distinguished public utilities such as automatic teller machines must be short with us in mind."