Retired Bishop Emeritus Nathanial Garang Anyieth Jangdit is currently receiving medical care in a hospital in Kenya’s capital Nairobi after being diagnosed with severe malaria.
The Secretary for Information for the Jonglei Internal Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan (ECSS), Philip Maluak Deng, told Radio Tamazuj that the 84-year-old Garang was first taken from Bor to Nile Kings Specialist Hospital in Juba before being flown to Nairobi on Sunday.
“Our grandfather, Bishop Garang, has been flown to Kenya for treatment. He is currently admitted in a hospital in Nairobi,” Deng reported.
“I have been closely monitoring his treatment and doctors have informed us that Bishop Garang is positively responding to the medication.”
Deng said that Ruben Akurdid Ngong Akurdid, the current Bishop of Bor, had called on the faithful around the world to continue praying for Bishop Garang.
Born in 1940 in Werkok Village, Makuach Payam of Bor County, Bishop Garang has had a notable and influential career.
His education journey began at Akol Ajak Bush Primary in 1954, followed by Malek Primary School in 1957. He earned a diploma in theology from the Nairobi Pentecostal Bible College in 1974 and was ordained a full pastor the following year.
In 1984, he was consecrated as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Bor, making history among the Dinka community. He later served as Dean of the Province in 2006 and became the acting Archbishop of the Episcopal Province of Sudan following the death of Joseph Marona.
He retired in April 2011 and was succeeded by Akurdid, having won an election in Juba against Nathanial Bol Nyok by 88 votes.
The then Great Bor Dioceses, comprising Bor, Twic East, and Duk, faced critical challenges in 2004-2005 when some church leaders, including bishops Philip Angony Chol, Daniel Dau Deng, and John Machar Thon, defected from the Episcopal Church of Sudan, advocating doctrinal reforms.
Bishop Garang’s legacy remains deeply felt within the church and broader community.