Pope Leo XIV has erected the new Metropolitan Province of Eldoret and appointed Bishop Joseph Obanyi Sagwe (Kakamega) as its first Metropolitan Archbishop.
The announcement was made on Saturday, November 14, 2026, at 2.00 p.m. Kenyan time (12 noon Rome time), through an official notification addressed to the Bishops of Kenya by the Chargé d’Affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature in Kenya.
According to the notification, the newly established Metropolitan Province of Eldoret will comprise the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Eldoret and four suffragan dioceses: Lodwar, Kapsabet, Kitale and Kericho.
The appointment marks a significant milestone in the history of the Catholic Church in Kenya, particularly in the western and north-western regions, where the Church has continued to expand its evangelising mission and pastoral presence.
Archbishop Obanyi’s appointment follows his service as Apostolic Administrator of Eldoret after Archbishop Dominic Kimengich was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Mombasa. During this transitional period, Bishop Obanyi provided pastoral and administrative leadership to the Diocese of Eldoret.
His appointment as the first Metropolitan Archbishop now places him at the helm of the newly established ecclesiastical province, with responsibility for the pastoral leadership of the Archdiocese and fostering communion among the four suffragan dioceses.
Episcopal Journey
Archbishop-elect Joseph Obanyi Sagwe was born in 1967 in Kebiro, in the Catholic Diocese of Kisii. He undertook his philosophical studies at St. Augustine Major Seminary, Mabanga, from 1990 to 1991, before proceeding to St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary, Nairobi, where he studied Theology from 1992 to 1995.
He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Kisii on October 25, 1996.
Following his ordination, he served as Parish Vicar and Diocesan Coordinator for Pastoral Care from 1996 to 1999. He later pursued further studies at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome from 1999 to 2004.
Upon his return to Kenya, he was appointed Parish Priest of St. Charles Lwanga Cathedral Parish, Kisii, in 2004. He subsequently served as Vicar General of the Diocese of Kisii from 2005.
On December 5, 2014, Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Kakamega, succeeding the late Bishop Philip Sulumeti. He received episcopal ordination on March 7, 2015, at Bukhungu Stadium in Kakamega. During his episcopal ministry, he also served as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Bungoma from 2018 to 2022.
His appointment as the first Metropolitan Archbishop of Eldoret marks another important chapter in his episcopal ministry, bringing his pastoral and administrative experience to the leadership of the newly established ecclesiastical province.
A New Metropolitan Province
The establishment of the Metropolitan Province of Eldoret marks a significant reorganisation of the Catholic Church’s ecclesiastical structure in Kenya, bringing together dioceses that previously belonged to two different metropolitan provinces.
Before the new province was erected, the dioceses of Lodwar, Kapsabet and Kitale were suffragan sees of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kisumu, while Kericho belonged to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Nairobi.
The four dioceses have distinct missionary histories. The Diocese of Lodwar was established in 1968 after being carved out of the Diocese of Eldoret, while Kitale was established in 1998, also from territory previously under Eldoret. Kapsabet was established in 2025, following its separation from the Diocese of Eldoret. The Diocese of Kericho was established in 1995 from territory belonging to the Diocese of Nakuru and placed under the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Nairobi.
Their coming together under the newly erected Metropolitan Archdiocese of Eldoret establishes a new ecclesiastical configuration, strengthening pastoral coordination, collaboration and communion among the local Churches in the region.
The Diocese of Eldoret itself traces its origins to June 29, 1953, when the Apostolic Prefecture of Eldoret was established from territory previously under the Diocese of Kisumu. It was elevated to the status of a Diocese on October 13, 1959, and subsequently became a suffragan see of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kisumu.
Over the decades, the Church continued to expand its missionary and pastoral presence, leading to the establishment of additional dioceses to respond to the growing needs of the faithful.
Source: Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB)
