Josiah Mutabuzi Isaya Kibira is the first African to be elected president of the LWF

At the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) General Assembly held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Josiah Mutabuzi Isaya Kibira became the first African to be elected president of the Lutheran World Federation. The cleric held this position until 1984. His election was a great honour for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere hosted a banquet at the State House and invited the new LWF president and many international guests. Kibira died on 18 July, 1988 at the age of 63. In commemoration of his commitment to the cause of the ecumenical movement, the main building at the headquarters of the All Africa Conference of Churches in Nairobi, Kenya is named after Kibira.