Catholic Church in Kenya explained

The Catholic Church in Kenya is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Kenyan Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Pope in the Vatican City.

The earliest traces of the Catholic Church in Kenya begin with the missionaries that penetrated the state in 1498, led by Vasco da Gama. Due to regional conflict, poor transportation, and a largely nomadic presence, it became more established in northern Kenya during the twentieth century.^[1]

Demographics

According to the Catholic Church official records, there are over 18 million baptised Catholics in Kenya (nearly 40% of the country's population). According to the 2019 national housing census, 10.6 million Catholics in Kenya are strict adherents and attend Mass regularly. ^[2]

In 2020, there were over 3,644 priests working across more than 1,100 parishes.^[3]

Organization

Within Kenya the hierarchy consists of:

• Archbishopric
  • Bishopric

• Kisumu
  • Bungoma
  • Eldoret
  • Homa Bay
  • Kakamega
  • Kisii
  • Kitale
  • Lodwar

• Mombasa
  • Garissa
  • Malindi

• Nairobi
  • Kericho
  • Kitui
  • Machakos
  • Nakuru
  • Ngong

• Nyeri
  • Embu
  • Maralal
  • Marsabit
  • Meru
  • Murang'a
  • Nyahururu

Notable Catholics in Kenya

• Moody Awori, former Vice President of Kenya^[4]
• Tere at Santa Clara University^[5]
• Ngina Kenyatta, former First Lady of Kenya^{[6] [7]}
• Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya^[8]
• Mwai Kibaki, former President of Kenya^[9]
• Patrick Ngugi Njoroge, governor of the Central Bank of Kenya.^{[10] [11]}

See also

• Religion in Kenya
• Vicariate Apostolic of Isiolo
• List of saints from Africa

External links

• Kenya Episcopal Conference

Notes and References

1. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20065087 Imperato, Pascal James. African Studies Review, vol. 48, no. 1, 2005, pp. 231-232. JSTOR
2. Web site: 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census Volume IV: Distribution of Population by Socio-Economic Characteristics . 2 May 2021 . Kenya National Bureau of Statistics .
3. https://www.catholicsandcultures.org/kenya Catholics And Culture website, retrieved 2023-08-08
4. http://vice-president.go.ke/aw/publish/vp_profile/vp.htm Page on Awori at Vice-President web site
5. Web site: WATERtalk Notes with Teresia Mbari Hinga - WATER - Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual. 2021-10-27. en-US.
6. Book: Gibbon, Peter . Markets, civil society and democracy in Kenya . Nordic Africa Institute . 1995 . 978-91-7106-371-7 . 135.
7. Book: Tablino, Paolo. Christianity among the nomads: the Catholic communities in Marsabit, Moyale and Samburu districts of Northern Kenya. volume II. Paulines Publications Africa. 2006. 978-9966-08-120-9. 37.
8. Web site: 2013-04-04. Uhuru and the Catholic connection. 2021-10-27. New African Magazine.
9. Web site: Kibaki leads latest Hall of Fame list as Kenya Open turns 50. 2020-05-25. Citizentv.co.ke. 10 March 2018 . en-US.
10. Web site: Okoth. Edwin. 16 June 2015. MPs Neglect Policy for Private Queries In Vetting CBK Governor Nominee. 19 June 2015. Daily Nation (Nairobi).
11. News: 2015-07-07. Single bank boss who spurns luxury. en-GB. BBC News. 2017-11-16.