South Sudan Mourns as Retired Bishop Nathaniel Garang Dies in Nairobi

By Debora Akur Chol, South 

The Episcopal Church of South Sudan has announced the passing of retired Bishop Nathaniel Garang Anyieth.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday by Archbishop Justin Badi Arama, the revered church leader died in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, on the morning of February 24, 2026.

“With a heavy heart, the province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan announces the passing of the retired Bishop Nathaniel Garang, which occurred this morning in Nairobi. The late Bishop Garang was consecrated in 1984 and became the first Diocesan Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Bor. He served his people with courage, humility, and a pastoral heart,” the Archbishop said.

He added that Bishop Garang offered spiritual strength and hope to the people of South Sudan during the country’s long years of liberation struggle.

“We request prayers for his immediate family and for the arrangements to bring his remains back home. May his soul rest in peace and rise in glory,” Archbishop Arama stated.

Born in 1940 in Werkok Village, Makuach Payam, Bor County of Jonglei State, Bishop Garang began his early education at Akol Ajak Bush School in 1954 before proceeding to Malek Primary School in 1957.

Amid Sudan’s prolonged conflicts, he answered a strong call to ministry. In 1974, he earned a diploma in theology from Nairobi Pentecostal Bible College and was ordained as a pastor in 1975.

In 1984, he made history when he was consecrated as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Bor becoming the first South Sudanese to lead a diocese that had previously been under foreign missionary leadership.

Shortly after his consecration, Bor was engulfed in violence during the Second Sudanese Civil War. Bishop Garang fled alongside his congregation into remote rural areas, where he continued ministering under extremely difficult conditions.

His years of isolation earned him the nickname “the lost bishop” among international church observers. Despite the hardships, he remained steadfast baptising believers, ordaining clergy, and providing spiritual guidance to displaced communities and refugees.

Throughout the 1990s, Bishop Garang played a pivotal role in strengthening Christian faith across Greater Jonglei and among South Sudanese refugees in Kenya. He worked to reconcile divided communities, promote peace, and expand evangelism in areas where traditional belief systems had long been dominant.

Following the war, Bishop Garang rose through the ranks of the church. In 2006, he became Dean of the Province and later served as Acting Archbishop after the death of Archbishop Joseph Marona.

As South Sudan approached independence in 2011, he consistently called for reconciliation, youth empowerment, and stronger cooperation between the church and society.

He retired in 2011 after nearly 30 years of dedicated service as Bishop of Bor. He was succeeded by Bishop Ruben Akurdid Ngong.

Even in retirement, Bishop Garang remained an influential and respected voice within the church. In 2023, the Episcopal Church of South Sudan honoured him with an Evangelism Award in recognition of his decades of faithful service.

In 2024, he was airlifted to Nairobi for treatment after suffering from severe malaria. He later recovered and was discharged.

Bishop Nathaniel Garang leaves behind a legacy of resilience, humility, and unwavering faith a shepherd who stood with his people through war,

displacement, and the birth of a nation.