Pope Leo created a brand new Catholic diocese in Kenya on Thursday. The religious leader picked Kapsabet as the location for the 28th Catholic diocese in the country. He carved out the new territory from the existing Eldoret diocese. The Pope appointed Rt. Rev. John Kiplimo Lelei as the first bishop to run the place. The fresh diocese will cover all of Nandi County.
Bishop Lelei already works as an assistant bishop in Eldoret but gets promoted to head the Kapsabet operation. The religious man was born on August 15, 1958, in a place called Soy inside the Eldoret diocese area. Church officials made him a priest back on October 26, 1985, after he finished his studies. He learned philosophy at St. Augustine's Senior Seminary in Mabanga and studied theology at St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary in Nairobi. The bishop even earned a fancy doctorate degree in theology from a university in Vienna.
Lelei spent years working as a parish priest in different churches including Yamumbi, Chepterit, and Kapcherop. He taught students and ran St. Matthias Mulumba Senior Seminary in Tindinyo for several years. The priest also served as head of St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary in Nairobi from 2017 until 2023. Church leaders made him auxiliary bishop of Eldoret in March 2024 after he worked as Vicar General. He takes charge of the Kapsabet diocese as his latest assignment.
Bishop Lelei already works as an assistant bishop in Eldoret but gets promoted to head the Kapsabet operation. The religious man was born on August 15, 1958, in a place called Soy inside the Eldoret diocese area. Church officials made him a priest back on October 26, 1985, after he finished his studies. He learned philosophy at St. Augustine's Senior Seminary in Mabanga and studied theology at St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary in Nairobi. The bishop even earned a fancy doctorate degree in theology from a university in Vienna.
Lelei spent years working as a parish priest in different churches including Yamumbi, Chepterit, and Kapcherop. He taught students and ran St. Matthias Mulumba Senior Seminary in Tindinyo for several years. The priest also served as head of St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary in Nairobi from 2017 until 2023. Church leaders made him auxiliary bishop of Eldoret in March 2024 after he worked as Vicar General. He takes charge of the Kapsabet diocese as his latest assignment.
