NAIROBI, Kenya – Pope Leo XIV has appointed Kenyan development and humanitarian expert Lucy Afandi Esipila as a Consultor to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, placing her among professionals who will provide expertise on some of the world’s most pressing social and humanitarian challenges.
Esipila is among three Africans appointed to the Vatican body, alongside Ugandan priest and peace scholar Father Emmanuel Katongole and Burkinabè development professional Omer S. Combary.
Her appointment gives Kenya representation in a Vatican institution responsible for promoting human development and addressing issues including poverty, migration, environmental protection, healthcare, humanitarian assistance and peace.
Esipila is a Kenyan development and humanitarian leader with extensive experience working with vulnerable communities and advocating for social and economic development.
She currently serves as Regional Executive Secretary and Coordinator of Caritas Africa, the continental network of Catholic organisations involved in humanitarian assistance, development and social action.
She made history in May 2023 when she became the first woman and youngest person to lead Caritas Africa. Her career, however, started far from the Vatican and international policy circles.
Esipila began her professional journey in 2012, helping establish and manage a diocesan radio station in Maralal, Samburu County. Her early work exposed her to the challenges facing pastoralist communities, including food insecurity, climate change, gender issues and competition over natural resources such as water and pasture.
That grassroots experience later shaped her work in development and humanitarian advocacy.
She progressed through various roles at Caritas Kenya before taking on regional responsibilities at Caritas Africa. Her work has included engaging policymakers and international institutions on issues affecting vulnerable communities across Africa.
Esipila has also represented development and humanitarian interests in engagements with institutions including the African Union, European Union and United Nations.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications and Public Relations from Moi University and a Master’s degree in Development.
As a Consultor, Esipila will serve in an advisory capacity rather than running the Vatican department. The appointment will allow the Vatican to draw on her professional experience in development, humanitarian action, climate resilience, food security and policy advocacy.
Her expertise will be particularly relevant to the Dicastery’s work on the challenges facing communities in Africa and the wider Global South. She is expected to provide technical and professional perspectives that can help the Vatican understand humanitarian and development challenges from the perspective of communities directly affected by them.
Her areas of expertise include poverty reduction, climate change adaptation, migration, food security, humanitarian response and community development.
The role also provides an opportunity for her to contribute to discussions and consultations within the Vatican on social and humanitarian issues.Consultors can be called upon to offer specialist advice, participate in meetings and contribute their professional knowledge to the work of the dicastery.
Esipila’s experience working directly with communities gives her a perspective that complements the theological and institutional expertise within the Vatican.
Her five-year appointment is expected to begin on September 1, 2026.
