Kenyan Government Urged to Ensure Full Implementation of 2010 Constitution to Honor Bishop’s Struggle for Reforms

Credit: ACI Africa

Also speaking at the same event, Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary, Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi, remembered the late Catholic Bishop for his tremendous contribution to the constitution that was promulgated in 2010.

He recalled that Bishop Sulumeti played a significant role in the Kenyan constitution, which he said “has been dubbed as one of the best or recognized as one of the most progressive constitutions globally.”

Credit: ACI Africa

“The man, the Bishop, we are laying to rest today, had a tremendous role in contributing to that very Constitution. He was a man of strong moral fiber and a stickler for the law. We must always honor the Constitution,” the Kenyan politician said.

Mudavadi pledged the government’s continued partnership with faith-based organizations, noting that the “footprint of the Catholic is humongous.”

Credit: ACI Africa

“I just want to say that on behalf of the government and on behalf of President Ruto, it is our obligation and solemn duty to work very, very closely and in partnership with all the religious organizations,” he said.

He lauded the Catholic Church for the milestones in the health care and learning sectors, saying, “In Kenya, you have more than 7,700 educational institutions. You have over 500 medical facilities and so many other things through which you support humanity and contribute to Kenya.”

Credit: ACI Africa

He added, “We would be completely on the wrong course if we did not see the need to work with you closely. I'm here to reaffirm that it is our intention today, tomorrow, and the day after and forever to work with you very closely for the benefit of the country.”

Mudavadi lauded the recent move to establish formal ties between Kenya and the Vatican as the best example to illustrate the government’s effort in partnering with faith-based organizations.

Credit: ACI Africa

“With the encouragement of the bishops and a lot of reflection, the Government of Kenya has, through Cabinet, formally approved that for the first time in our history, from now going forward, Kenya shall have a diplomatic mission at the Vatican,” he said.

Mr. Mudavadi also conveyed Kenya’s President William Samoei Ruto’s condolence message at the passing on of Bishop Sulumeti.

(Story continues below)

Credit: ACI Africa

In the message, President Ruto eulogized the late Bishop as a pillar of faith and a compassionate shepherd whose life and ministry transformed communities.

“As the founding Bishop of the Diocese of Kakamega, he built not only institutions but hope, nurturing the spiritual, educational, and social foundations of countless families across our nation,” he said.

Credit: ACI Africa

The Kenyan president further said that Bishop Sulumeti carried his calling with humility, firmness, and dignity.

“His voice served the church but also echoed in matters of justice, human dignity, and national unity. May the Almighty God grant comfort to all who, on his passing,” President Ruto said.

Bishop Sulumeti was born on 15 August 1937 in Busia County in Kenya’s Catholic Diocese of Bungoma, and was ordained a Priest on 6 January 1966.

The late Kenyan Bishop started his Episcopal Ministry in August 1972 as Auxiliary Bishop of the then Catholic Diocese of Kisumu, serving under Bishop Joannes de Reeper, a member of St. Joseph’s Missionary Society of Mill Hill (Mill Hill Missionaries/MHM).

The late Bishop Sulumeti succeeded Bishop Reeper in December 1976, and in February 1978, he was appointed pioneer Local Ordinary of Kakamega Diocese. He retired in December 2014, aged 77.

The late Bishop was laid to rest on Friday, November 21, in St. Joseph’s Cathedral of Kakamega Diocese. His Funeral Mass presided over by the Apostolic Nuncio in Kenya, Archbishop Hubertus van Megen.