Catholic Sisters “indefinitely” Close Mission Stations in Bandit-Infested Kenyan Community Days after Priest’s Murder

Nairobi, 03 June, 2025 / 3:59 PM

Members of the Missionary Benedictine Sisters (OSB) have “indefinitely” shut down their mission and hospital apostolate in Kerio Valley, a region served by Kenya’s Catholic Diocese of Eldoret, “until the area is safe for service”.

In a letter dated May 30, the OSB Prioress, Sr. Rosa Pascal, says that the decision “to close our mission stations indefinitely” followed the May 22 killing of Fr. Allois Cheruiyot Bett, who served as the Priest in charge of the newly created St. Matthias Mulumba Tot Parish of the Kenyan Episcopal See.

In the one-page notice, Sr. Rosa refers to the murder of Fr. Allois by suspected bandits, saying there is “unrest” and that “this has affected our missionary work in the area.”

The experience of “high tension of insecurity”, the OSB Prioress explains, has caused “mental, emotional and psychological trauma to our Sisters” and that they are unable “to run the essential services due to lack of staff who are fleeing the area.”

Shutting down the mission stations of the OSB members from Kerio Valley, Sr. Rosa goes on to explain, has the objective of ensuring “the safety of our sisters working in the region, our employees and those who visit our mission for different services.”

The decision is also meant “to press” the Kenyan government to realize “a lasting solution to peace in the area including disarming the civilians.”

The decision to shut down the mission stations of OSB members in the region “indefinitely” is also meant “to remind the people of Kerio Valley the relevance of our presence to the community,” says the Prioress of OSB members in Kenya, who have been at the helm of Chesongoch Mission hospital in Kerio Valley, a health facility known to serve many residents in the poverty-stricken and bandit-infested region.

She adds, “If the community does not consider our mission as essential to them then there is no need of our presence.”

Fr. Allois was fatally shot by armed assailants on May 22 in Kabartile village, Elgeyo Marakwet County while returning from celebrating Holy Mass with members of a Small Christian Community (SCC).

His brutal murder has been linked to police investigations into banditry in the region. In a May 25 report by The Standard, a Kenyan national publication, detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Kenya showed up at the Parish to meet Fr. Allois on two consecutive days before his death. His assailants reportedly snuck on him as he descended a hill from Holy Mass with SCC members.

Laid to rest on Tuesday, June 3 after Funeral Mass at St. Michael Terige Boys grounds in Eldoret Diocese, the late Fr. Allois has been described as “ever cheerful and kind” and with “lots of virtues”.

Earlier, in a heartfelt plea on the sidelines of Fr. Allois’ Requiem Mass on Monday, June 2, Bishop Dominic Kimengich of Eldoret Diocese appealed for unity and an end to the protracted violent conflicts and divisions in Elgeyo Marakwet.

Meanwhile, the Chancellor of Eldoret Diocese, Fr. Vincent Kitur, has told ACI Africa that the Parish services in Kerio Valley have not been suspended.

“The parish is not closed; it's only the hospital,” Fr. Kitur told ACI Africa on May 31, referring to the decision of OSB Prioress to withdraw her members from Kerio Valley.

Founded in Germany in 1885, OSB members number more than 1,200 in some 15 countries across the globe. They are dedicated to seeking God through community life, guided by Scripture, the Rule of St. Benedict, and spiritual leadership. Rooted in Benedictine spirituality and prayer, they serve in areas where the people of God are most in need.

In Kenya, OSB members serve in Eldoret Diocese and in the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi. In their various apostolates, they address the needs of local impoverished communities by providing healthcare, education, pastoral and social ministry.