Kenya’s Bishop Kimengich of Eldoret Named Mombasa Coadjutor, Set to Succeed Archbishop Kivuva

Born on 23 April 1961 in Kenya’s Baringo County served by the Catholic Diocese of Nakuru, Bishop Kimengich has served in demanding roles within the Church’s hierarchy and governance.

Credit: Catholic Diocese of Eldoret

Since his Priestly Ordination for Nakuru Diocese in September 1986, he built a foundation in Seminary formation and canonical practice, which included roles as Rector of St. Joseph’s Junior Seminary, Molo and Rector of St. Matthias Mulumba Major Seminary, Tindinyo.

The holder of a Licentiate and a Doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Lodwar Catholic Diocese in March 2010 and Consecrated in May that year.

Credit: Courtesy Photo

He succeeded Bishop Patrick Joseph Harrington of the Society of African Missions (SMA) as Local Ordinary of Lodwar in March 2011.

In November 2019, the late Pope Francis transferred Bishop Kimengich to the Diocese of Eldoret, where he was installed in February 2020.

Credit: Catholic Diocese of Eldoret

The Kenyan Catholic Archbishop-elect has been engaged in social issues and governance in his Episcopal See. In March 2025, he emphasized the importance of robust democratic “checks and balances” in the Kenyan political system, urging that an opposition must be preserved to ensure accountability within government.

Announcing the formal incardination of the Clergy into the Diocese of Eldoret and the newly created Kapsabet Catholic Diocese in a 25 August 2025 statement, the 64-year-old Bishop appealed for spiritual solidarity with the 117 Priests incardinated into Eldoret Diocese and 45 Priests incardinated into the Diocese of Kapsabet.

Bishop Kimengich’s leadership portfolio combines academic formation, canonical expertise, and pastoral sensitivity.

Credit: Courtesy Photo

Archbishop Martin Kivuva Musonde — Shepherd of the Coast

Archbishop Kivuva was born on 10 February 1952 in Machakos Catholic Diocese. He has been at the helm of Mombasa Archdiocese since his installation in February 2015 after his transfer from Machakos Diocese in December 2014, where he had started his Episcopal Ministry in June 2003.

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Ordained Priest in December 1978 for Mombasa Archdiocese, Archbishop Kivuva’s early ministry combined Parish pastoral work with communication and media roles. He served as Parish Priest in several coastal and eastern locations and worked as social communications Coordinator and later Director of Ukweli Video Productions in Nairobi.

Archbishop Martin Kivuva Musonde (left). Credit: ACI Africa

Taking the episcopal motto “that all may be one” that underscores a commitment to unity across diverse communities, Archbishop Kivuva has engaged both internal Church priorities and public issues including in his role as immediate former KCCB Chairman since May 2021.

In June 2025, he denounced the June 25 violent protests in Kenya and challenged Church leadership in the East African nation to be at the forefront in the fight against injustices, framing ecclesial witness as necessary for societal moral grounding.

Credit: Capuchin TV

Last December, Archbishop Kivuva urged members of Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL) to exercise care in public communication in the digital era, highlighting the interplay of faith, technology, and social responsibility.

Coadjutor Appointment for Mombasa Archdiocese

The designation of a coadjutor with the right of succession is a canonical strategy the Vatican uses to ensure governance continuity in Catholic Dioceses and Archdioceses.

In the case of the Metropolitan See of Mombasa, which covers the Kenyan coastal region marked by ethnic, economic, and religious plurality, leadership continuity is essential as the incumbent, Archbishop Kivuva, approaches the canonical retirement age of 75.

Credit: Lwanga Communications

The appointment of Bishop Kimengich as Coadjutor Archbishop may signal a strategic realignment – his transfer from Eldoret, a Diocese with deep pastoral roots, can be interpreted as Vatican’s emphasis on cross-regional leadership capacities within the Catholic Church in Kenya.

With the announcement, Archbishop Kivuva is to continue serving as the Local Ordinary of Mombasa Archdiocese while Bishop Kimengich is to assume Coadjutor responsibilities, accompanying the Kenyan Metropolitan See through ongoing pastoral and administrative priorities.

Credit: ACI Africa

The Diocese of Eldoret is officially sede vacante, to be governed by an Apostolic Administrator, until the Holy Father appoints the successor of Bishop Kimengich.

“The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) warmly welcomes this appointment and invites all the faithful to keep Bishop Dominic Kimengich, the Archdiocese of Mombasa, and the Church in Kenya in prayer as he prepares to assume this new pastoral responsibility in the service of God’s people,” Kenya’s Catholic Bishops have stated in a January 28 publication.