Vicar General of Kenya’s Catholic Diocese of Eldoret Appointed Auxiliary Bishop

Eldoret, 27 March, 2024 / 9:00 PM

Pope Francis has appointed Mons. John Kiplimo Lelei as Auxiliary Bishop of Kenya’s Catholic Diocese of Eldoret that is under the leadership of Bishop Dominic Kimengich.

The Episcopal appointment of Mons. Kiplimo, who has been serving as Vicar General of the Kenyan Diocese, was made public by the Holy See Press Office on Wednesday, March 27, and confirmed by the Apostolic Nuncio in Kenya and South Sudan, Archbishop Hubertus van Megen.

The Kenyan-born Bishop-elect, who has been assigned the titular See of Monte di Numidia in Italy was born in August 1958 in the Catholic Diocese of Eldoret.

He was ordained a Priest for his native Diocese in October 1985 after completing his philosophical and theological studies from St. Augustine's Mabanga Senior Seminary in Kenya’s Bungoma Diocese, and St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary in Nairobi Archdiocese, respectively.

As a Priest, Mons. Kiplimo has served in various capacities, including Parish Priest and Dean. 

The holder of a Doctorate in Theology from the University of Vienna in Austria has also served Rector at St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary in the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi, lecturer at the Pastoral Institute of Gaba in Eldoret under the auspices of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) and at St. Matthias Mulumba Tindinyo Senior Seminary among other Priestly duties.

Once Consecrated Bishop, Mons. Kiplimo is to assist the 62-year-old Bishop Kimengich, who has been at the helm of Eldoret Diocese since February 2020.

Erected in June 1953 as the Prefecture Apostolic of Eldoret, the 9,254 square-kilometer Episcopal See was elevated to a Diocese in October 1959.

The Kenyan Diocese, which is part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Kisumu has a population of 892,000 Catholics representing 35.8 percent of the total population in the Episcopal See, according to 2021 statistics.