The year 2024 marks 25 years of accelerated Kingdom Hall construction in the East Africa branch territory, which today includes the countries of Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan, and Tanzania.

In 1999, the Governing Body approved the Lands with Limited Resources (LWLR) program a to expedite the construction of Kingdom Halls in 88 developing countries. Under this arrangement, branches with surplus funds generously made these available for use in lands with limited resources. (2 Corinthians 8:13-15) Additionally, Witnesses with experience in building Kingdom Halls traveled internationally to train local brothers and sisters. Once trained, these local publishers could continue the building work in that region. One outstanding example of the effectiveness of this arrangement is the work that continues to be done to build Kingdom Halls in the East Africa branch territory.

In 1999, there were over 23,000 publishers in the East Africa branch territory but only 51 Kingdom Halls. Most congregations met outdoors, in private homes, or in other locations. When it was possible to construct a Kingdom Hall before the LWLR program was introduced, the brothers used whatever materials were available locally, such as wooden poles, mud, corrugated metal, and even dried cow dung mixed with ash. Sister Nancy Ruitha, who attended the Kingpost Congregation in Embu, Kenya, recalled: “Our Kingdom Hall was made of iron sheets. When the weather was hot, it was like an oven inside. When it would rain, it was so loud we could not hear the speaker. Now, we are so proud to have stone walls instead of iron sheets. It is much more conducive to learning, and the Kingdom Hall gives a beautiful witness to the community.”

The brothers in East Africa built the first Kingdom Hall under the LWLR arrangement in Nairobi, Kenya. Remarkably, over the next 25 years, the number of Kingdom Halls throughout the branch territory grew from 51 to nearly 1,000.

As more and more people respond to the Kingdom message throughout the East Africa branch territory, there continues to be a need for more Kingdom Halls. Brother Timothy Stephens, who serves as the assistant overseer of the Local Design/Construction Department in East Africa, observed: “As of 2024, we have a need for 126 new Kingdom Halls and for over 200 major renovations of existing Kingdom Halls. Over the next five years, this need is expected to grow significantly.”

We are grateful for the hard work and the many sacrifices made to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters in East Africa and all over the world. As more Kingdom Halls are constructed, we are confident that Jehovah will bless our efforts to promote and support pure worship, bringing him praise and honor.—Isaiah 2:3.