Bishop John Lelei will on Saturday be installed as the head of the new Catholic Diocese of Kapsabet, which was created on July 10 this year by Pope Leo XIV.
Lelei, who has been serving as auxiliary bishop in Eldoret, was appointed on the same day to become the first bishop of the new diocese carved out of the Catholic Diocese of Eldoret.
His installation mass will take place at Eliud Kipchoge Sports Complex in Kapsabet, following a series of ceremonies beginning on Friday.
According to Eldoret Bishop Dominic Kimengich, the church has organised elaborate prayers and farewell events in Eldoret, including a procession to escort Lelei to the new diocese.
The ceremonies will start on Friday at the cathedral in Eldoret with mass, followed by a symbolic procession to Mulango, the border point between Uasin Gishu and Nandi counties, along the Eldoret-Kapsabet road.
In the evening, Lelei will be received at St Peter’s Church in Kapsabet for prayers ahead of his installation.
The new Diocese of Kapsabet covers about 2,888 square kilometres and serves a population of more than 885,000 people, of whom 313,655 are Catholic. Its cathedral church will be the current St Peter’s Parish in Kapsabet town.
Bishop Lelei, consecrated in May 2024, was born in Soy, Uasin Gishu county, in the former Diocese of Eldoret.
On his appointment last month, he expressed gratitude for the role, saying, “I thank God for the opportunity to serve as shepherd for his people in the new Diocese of Kapsabet.”
Political leaders, led by Nandi Governor Stephen Sang, are expected to attend the installation.
Sang welcomed the bishop’s appointment, praising the Catholic Church for its contribution to national development and spiritual guidance.
“We are ready to work with and
support the new bishop as he leads us spiritually in this region,” he said.
