Bishop Robert Wanjala Makona was born on July 17, 1958 to Peter Makona and Victoria Nambuye in a family of three brothers, one sister and two half brothers. The family was very poor because his father was married to three wives and he was illiterate. His father refused to go to school when he was still young. The family lived in seven houses built with grass on the roofs and mud on the walls. Peter Makona worked as a cook from 1947 to 1994 when he resigned. In 1996, when Robert was eight years old, he was on his way home from school for lunch when the Lord called him by name and asked him to pray. Robert obeyed the voice of the Lord. He knelt down and prayed a short prayer, but got up quickly because he was afraid and trembling, and did not want anyone to see him praying in the middle of the pathway. He ran home very fast and told his mother, Victoria, the story of how the Lord spoke to him. The Spirit of the Lord spoke to Robert not to tell anyone else the story except his mother. After a few months, about 500 yards from the very place where he had prayed, Robert was rushing home alone one evening around 7 PM when he saw an angel of the Lord. He turned back and ran as fast as he could to the house of his nephew. There they gave him food, but he ate very little because he was trembling from the angel he had seen. His nephew’s family asked if something was wrong or if there was a problem. He told them, the he felt it was unsafe to go alone in the dark. The Spirit spoke to him and said, don’t tell anyone you saw an angel of the Lord except your mother.
The next morning, Robert woke up very early and walked back home. He told his mother the story of seeing the angel, and his mother told him for the second time, that he would be a Catholic priest in the future, whom the Lord will use mightily. Robert kept these words his mother had spoken in his heart.
Robert Makona dropped out of school in 1974 at the age of 16 years and he started drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, chasing women and girls, and walking at night with dangerous weapons, such as, swords, spears and metal object to fight people in his own village and villages nearby.
On May 13, 1977, Robert married his wife, Janerose (Jane) Nekesa.
On December 24, l978, at 2 o’clock in the morning, Brother Robert’s life was dramatically changed from drugs, alcohol and other sinful lifestyle to a born again Christian. The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him at night in a vision (dream) when he was asleep. He saw a star in the sky and Jesus Christ appeared. The Lord came down through a light and stood beside his bed and pointed his hand at him and said, “Robert. Robert, Robert I have called you many times and you have resisted, this is the last time I am speaking to you. Go and do the work that I have called you to do.” Robert then saw himself preaching on a high platform to a very large crowd, so large that they could not be counted. In all directions, as far as his eye could see, there were people of many nations and colors. When the vision of preaching disappeared, he saw Jesus Christ still standing in front of him. And Jesus Christ told Robert, that is the work he has called him to do. The Lord Jesus went up into the star and the star disappeared, and fire came out at the same spot and it was a very terrible fire, like a furnace fires. It came down and fell upon him. He woke up trembling and crying but rejoicing because he had been completely delivered from drugs, alcohol and every bondage and sin. His whole body, clothes, blankets and mattress was water flowing everywhere as if someone had baptized him in water by immersion. He woke his wife up and told her about the vision – that Jesus Christ had appeared to him. He was now saved and set free and he was going to be a preacher and preach the Gospel to many people. His wife, Jane, rejected the vision, and told Robert that he will never be a preacher, and if he becomes a preacher nobody will go to church because he is one of the chief sinners in his community. She told Robert to keep quiet and sleep because she thought he had a mental problem because of the drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes that he was addicted to had caused a mental disorder in his mind.
After three months, his wife, Jane, was saved and they started going to church togethert at Kinyoro Primary School where the church met on Sundays for many years. Brother Robert Wanjala was appointed to be secretary of Kinyro Church after a short time in church, and again elected to be a deacon before the end of 1978.
On October 20, 1979, Bishop Robert Wanjala was ordained to be a pastor by Reverend Gabriel Silali. Robert prayed, fasted and worked tirelessly day and night and spread the Gospel to other villages in Tanzania and Bungona districts, and as a result they planted many new churches.
In 1984, Robert Wanjala was promoted to be overseer of twenty churches. He worked more and more reaching many places and working with other pastors who were under him in peace, love and unity. God did great things through this servant of God.
In 1988, Robert was promoted to be the national evangelist in the Lord’s Ministries by Bishop George Opara. He went to many places in the country to preach the Gospel of Christ. Many people were saved, healed and delivered.
On January 29, 1990, when Bishop Robert and his wife Janerose Were praying, the Lord spoke to Robert and gave him the ministry name: World Revival and Salvation Ministries. The ministry started in humble, small beginnings with one church. Now, in 2005, Bishop Makona and his team have planted churches in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and D.R. Congo. They are praying and planning to go to Sudan, Rwanda, and Burundi as God leads and funds are made available.
God has blessed He and Jane with nine children – five girls, Henrietta, Annette, Adah, Vanessa and Fiona; and four boys, Asantos, Kraus, Vovak and Calvin. Presently they have been blessed with thirty grandchildren. In addition, they have forty orphans now, and want to add more orphans as funds become available. They mentor many believers, pastors, overseers and bishops.