Catholic Bishop of Kitui Diocese in Kenya Appointed Coadjutor of Country’s Machakos Diocese

Bishop Norman King'oo Wambua of the Catholic Diocese of Machakos in Kenya. Credit: Sr. Irene Muhanga

Bishop Mwongela, who has served as Bishop of Kitui since his Episcopal Consecration in August 2020, is set to succeed the fourth Bishop of Machakos, who stands in a line of episcopal leadership that includes the late Archbishop Raphael Ndingi Mwana’a Nzeki, the late Bishop Urbanus Joseph Kioko and Archbishop Martin Kivuva Musonde, who was later transferred to head the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa.

For over three years (February 2015 – August 2018), the Diocese of Machakos also benefited from the pastoral oversight of Archbishop Anthony Muheria of Nyeri Catholic Archdiocese, who served as Apostolic Administrator during a period of transition. 

Bishop Joseph Mwongela delivers the homily during the perpetual profession of three members of the Pious Society of the Daughters of St. Paul (FSP), popularly known as Pauline Sisters or Daughters of St. Paul, on 5 April 2024. Credit: ACI Africa.

Born on 7 April 1968 in Kakumi, within the Diocese of Kitui, Bishop Mwongela brings to Machakos a pastoral style shaped by years of service, theological formation, and close engagement with the people of God. 

He was ordained a priest on 7 September 1996 and had served Kitui Diocese in various capacities before his Episcopal Appointment in March 2020, including Parish Priest, Diocesan Chancellor, Vocations Director, and Vicar General. 

Academically, Bishop Mwongela holds a licentiate in Dogmatic Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University and a doctorate from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome.

When he was appointed Bishop of Kitui on 17 March 2020, then Fr. Mwongela told ACI Africa that his episcopal ministry would prioritize unity and participation in evangelization. 

Bishop Joseph Mwongela during the perpetual profession of three members of the Pious Society of the Daughters of St. Paul (FSP), popularly known as Pauline Sisters or Daughters of St. Paul, on 5 April 2024. Credit: ACI Africa.

“I want to see a united people and all those involved in the ministry of evangelization being actively involved not as passive consumers but being actively involved in the ministry,” he said, and explained, “I would like to see the unity of the clergy, the religious, and also the lay people who have a great role to play in the building of the Church.”

Expressing humility at the time of his appointment to Kitui Diocese, he told ACI Africa, “It is an honour that the Holy Father has entrusted me with this responsibility; it is a call to service and I am not really worth it, sincerely.” 

Acknowledging the legacy of Archbishop Muheria, who had been serving as Apostolic Administrator of Kitui Diocese, he added, “I really feel unworthy to fit into his shoes but as they say, each one puts on their own shoes; I will just put on my shoes and seek to do my very best and leave the rest to God.”

During his Episcopal Ordination on 29 August 2020 at the grounds of St. Charles Lwanga School, Kitui, Bishop Mwongela outlined a pastoral vision rooted in humility and service. 

In his maiden speech as Bishop, he urged those overseeing various sectors in Kenya to embrace humility in their line of duty. “You are those chosen instruments to transform the world. Kindly earn greatness through humble service,” he said.

Bishop Mwongela emphasized that leadership must be measured not by status but by service, adding, “Our dignity and greatness do not depend on what we are or what we have amassed but who we are to the people we serve.”

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Over the years, Bishop Mwongela has also emerged as a strong voice on social and pastoral issues affecting Kenyan families and society. 

Speaking during a National Prayer Day of the Catholic Women Association (CWA) Kenya at the Village of Mary, the National Marian Shrine of Subukia in Nakuru Diocese in February 2024, he expressed concern about marital instability, saying, “I am worried as a Bishop, when I see the marriages of young people, ten years or less, how some of them are unstable.” 

He urged couples to perseverance, stressing, “Marriages should last forever. You were not married to be divorced.”

Bishop Joseph Mwongela poses for a photo with Pauline Sisters on 5 April 2024 after perpetual profession of their three members. Credit: ACI Africa.

His pastoral outreach has extended to education and culture as well. Addressing members of the Pious Society of the Daughters of St. Paul (FSP/Pauline Sisters) in Kenya in April 2024, he lamented declining reading habits, observing, “We are losing the idea of reading culture.” 

He challenged Pauline Sisters to “bring some creativity, bring some novelty in the work that you do” to help sustain a culture of reading and listening.

As he prepares to take up his new role in Machakos Diocese, his pastoral priorities of unity, humble service, evangelization, and engagement with social realities are expected to continue shaping his Episcopal ministry.