The Vatican has elevated Eldoret to a Metropolitan Archdiocese, bringing four dioceses previously under the ecclesiastical provinces of Kisumu and Nairobi under its leadership.
ELDORET, Kenya – Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Joseph Obanyi Sagwe as the first Metropolitan Archbishop of Eldoret following the establishment of a new Ecclesiastical Province in Kenya.
The Holy See Press Office announced the appointment on Saturday, November 14, 2026, confirming that the Pope had elevated the See of Eldoret to a Metropolitan Church.
The newly established Ecclesiastical Province will comprise the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Eldoret and four suffragan dioceses: Lodwar, Kitale, Kericho and Kapsabet.
Bishop Obanyi, who previously served as Bishop of Kakamega and was appointed Apostolic Administrator of Eldoret during the vacancy in its leadership, will head the new metropolitan province.
The Vatican announcement stated that the Holy Father had appointed him first Metropolitan Archbishop of Eldoret.
The reorganisation brings together dioceses that previously fell under two different metropolitan provinces. Lodwar, Kitale and Kapsabet were under the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kisumu, while Kericho was under the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Nairobi.
Who is Archbishop Joseph Obanyi Sagwe?
Archbishop Joseph Obanyi Sagwe was born in 1967 in Kebiro, within the Catholic Diocese of Kisii.
He studied philosophy at St Augustine Major Seminary in Mabanga between 1990 and 1991 before undertaking theological studies at St Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary in Nairobi from 1992 to 1995.
He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Kisii on October 25, 1996.
Following his ordination, he served as a parish vicar and diocesan pastoral coordinator between 1996 and 1999.
He later pursued further studies at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome from 1999 to 2004.
After returning to Kenya, he was appointed parish priest of the cathedral in the Diocese of Kisii in 2004. He also served as Vicar General of the Diocese of Kisii from 2005.
On December 5, 2014, Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Kakamega, succeeding Bishop Philip Sulumeti, who had resigned from the pastoral governance of the diocese.
He was ordained bishop on March 7, 2015, and later served as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Bungoma between 2018 and 2022.
On April 25, 2026, he was appointed Apostolic Administrator sede vacante of the Diocese of Eldoret following the departure of Bishop Dominic Kimengich, who was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Mombasa.
Four dioceses join new Eldoret Metropolitan Province
The creation of the new province establishes Eldoret as the metropolitan centre for four neighbouring dioceses.
The dioceses and their establishment dates are:
- Lodwar: Established in 1978.
- Kitale: Established in 1998.
- Kericho: Established in 1995.
- Kapsabet: Established in 2025.
The Diocese of Eldoret itself dates back to October 13, 1959, when it was elevated from an apostolic prefecture to a diocese.
In the Catholic Church, a metropolitan archbishop heads an ecclesiastical province and has a coordinating role among the dioceses within it. The bishops of the suffragan dioceses retain responsibility for governing their respective dioceses.
The new arrangement therefore changes the administrative structure of the Catholic Church in the region, bringing the four suffragan dioceses under the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Eldoret.
Pope Leo announces other Church appointments
The Vatican’s November 14 bulletin also announced two other appointments.
Archbishop Waldemar Stanisław Sommertag, previously Apostolic Nuncio to Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania and Cabo Verde, was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to India.
The Pope also appointed Reverend Oswaldo Enrique Méndez Marchena, a priest of the Archdiocese of Barquisimeto in Venezuela, as an Auxiliary Bishop of the same archdiocese. He was assigned the titular See of Altava.
Méndez Marchena was born on June 29, 1967, in Boconó, Venezuela. He studied philosophy and theology at the Major Seminary of Barquisimeto before obtaining a licentiate in dogmatic theology from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.
He was ordained a priest on October 22, 1994, and has served in several pastoral and administrative roles, including as Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Barquisimeto. At the time of his appointment, he was also serving as parish priest of Buen Pastor and a teacher at the Major Seminary.
