Pope Leo appoints Rev. Fr. Obed Muriungi Karobia as Nairobi Auxiliary Bishop

The announcement was made on March 26 at the Holy Family Minor Basilica by Archbishop Bert van Megen, the Apostolic Nuncio to Kenya, during the 1 pm Mass.

“His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has appointed Rev. Fr. Obed Muriungi Karobia O.F.M Conventual as an Auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Nairobi,” read part of a statement seen by Citizen Digital.

The Archdiocese of Nairobi has since congratulated Rev. Fr. Obed Muriungi Karobia on his new appointment.

The move set to reinforce pastoral leadership within one of the country’s most active Catholic jurisdictions.

Bishop-elect Karobia, a member of the Franciscan Order, was born on June 29, 1979, in Meru.

He made his simple profession in 2004 and his solemn profession in 2010 before being ordained a priest in 2012.

In 2019, he was elected the first Minister Provincial of the Province of St. Francis in Kenya.

Until his elevation, he has been serving as the Supreme Moderator of the Franciscan Servants of Mary Queen of Love Fraternity, a religious community of priests and brothers.

As Auxiliary Bishop, Karobia will assist the Archbishop of Nairobi in pastoral governance, including guiding the faithful, expanding outreach programmes, and strengthening ecclesiastical structures across the archdiocese.

The Archdiocese of Nairobi covers two counties – the City of Nairobi (Nairobi County) and Kiambu County. It covers an area of 3,721sq. Km and is divided into 17 deaneries.

The Archdiocese serves an estimated population of well over 7.2 million people where 4.03 million are Catholics.

The population is highly cosmopolitan, reflecting Nairobi’s status as Kenya’s capital, attracting people from all communities across the country and around the world.