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.
