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Catholic Bishop in Kenya Calls for Spiritual Solidarity as Over 40 Priests Transition to New Diocese

Bishop Dominic Kimengich (left) and Bishop John Kiplimo Lelei (right). Credit: UpendoFm Eldoret
Nicholas Waigwa

By Nicholas Waigwa

Eldoret, 27 August, 2025 / 3:16 pm (ACI Africa).

The Local Ordinary of Kenya’s Catholic Diocese of Eldoret has urged the people of God in his Episcopal See to continue offering spiritual support to a large section of their shepherds who are set to transition to the newly created Diocese of Kapsabet.

Bishop Dominic Kimengich made the appeal in a message on August 25, announcing the formal incardination of Priests into the Dioceses of Eldoret and Kapsabet.

He said that the tens of Priests need prayers as they prepare to embark on mission in the new Diocese.

“I hereby write to notify you of the incardination of Priests into the Dioceses of Eldoret and Kapsabet respectively,” Bishop Kimengich said in the Monday, August 26 message, and implored, “Please pray for them as they continue serving the Lord.”

According to the notice, 117 Priests will be incardinated into the Eldoret Diocese and 45 into the Kapsabet Episcopal See, which Pope Leo XIV erected on July 10 and appointed Bishop John Kiplimo Lelei as its pioneer Local Ordinary.

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The newly established Diocese becomes the eighth Suffragan Diocese of the Metropolitan See of Kisumu alongside Kakamega, Kitale, Kisii, Eldoret, Lodwar, and Homa Bay.

According to the Vatican July 2025 statistics, the Kapsabet Episcopal See measures 2,888.4 km² and starts off with 313,655 Catholic population from 885,711 total population, representing 35.4 percent of the total population of its territory.

Set to have St. Peter’s Catholic Parish in the township of Kapsabet as its Cathedral, the newly erected Diocese that covers the territory of Kenya’s Nandi County has 36 Parishes, 52 Priests, 45 of them Diocesan, and eight members of Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL).

In a video published on Tuesday, August 26, Bishop Lelei, who until his appointment to pioneer the new Diocese was serving as the Auxiliary Bishop of Eldoret Diocese, weighs in on the process used to select the Diocesan Priests assigned to move with him to the new Diocese.

He says, “We all belong to the Diocese of Eldoret, and everyone was given the freedom to decide. Someone born in Nandi who wished to join Eldoret was free to do so, and likewise, one born in Eldoret who preferred to remain in Nandi was also free. Each has made their choice.”

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He adds, “At this moment, our Diocese will begin with about fifty-nine priests, both missionaries and locals. That is quite a large number. Not bad at all.”

“We shall organize ourselves to see how we carry out our work. But I thank God for those fifty-nine priests, and without a doubt, God will give us more,” says the 67-year-old Kenyan Bishop whose Episcopal Installation as the first Bishop of Kapsabet Diocese is scheduled for August 30. 

Nicholas Waigwa

Nicholas Waigwa is a Kenyan multimedia journalist and broadcast technician with a professional background in creating engaging news stories and broadcasting content across multiple media platforms. He is passionate about the media apostolate and Catholic Church communication.

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