Pope Leo XIV has erected the Ecclesiastical Province of Eldoret in Kenya, elevating the See of Eldoret to a Metropolitan Church and appointing Bishop Joseph Obanyi Sagwe as its first Metropolitan Archbishop.
The Holy See Press Office announced the move on Saturday, 14 November 2026.
According to the Vatican, the new Ecclesiastical Province of Eldoret will comprise four suffragan dioceses: Lodwar, Kitale, Kericho and Kapsabet.
The Holy Father appointed Bishop Joseph Obanyi Sagwe, until now Bishop of Kakamega and currently Apostolic Administrator sede vacante of the Diocese of Eldoret, as the first Metropolitan Archbishop of Eldoret.
“The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Joseph Obanyi Sagwe, hitherto of the Diocese of Kakamega and currently apostolic administrator sede vacante of the Diocese of Eldoret, as first metropolitan archbishop of Eldoret,” part of the announcement read.
Who is Archbishop Joseph Obanyi Sagwe?
Archbishop Joseph Obanyi Sagwe was born in 1967 in Kebiro, within the Diocese of Kisii, Kenya.
Between 1990 and 1991, he studied philosophy at St Augustine Major Seminary in Mabaga. He later pursued 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 25 October 1996 and served as a parish vicar and diocesan pastoral coordinator from 1996 to 1999.
