John Kiplimo Lelei | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Kapsabet, Kenya | |
| Church | Catholic Church |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kisumu |
| See | Roman Catholic Diocese of Kapsabet |
| Appointed | 10 July 2025 |
| Installed | 30 August 2025 |
| Predecessor | None (Diocese created) |
| Successor | Incumbent |
| Previous post(s) | Auxiliary Bishop of Eldoret (27 March 2024 - 10 July 2025) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 26 October 1985 |
| Consecration | 25 May 2024 by Hubertus Matheus Maria van Megen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Kiplimo Lelei 15 August 1958 Soy, Prefecture Apostolic of Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya |
John Kiplimo Lelei (born 15 August 1958) is a Kenyan prelate of the Catholic Church who is the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kapsabet since 10 July 2025. Before then, since 27 March 2024, he was Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Eldoret. He concurrently served as Titular Bishop of Mons in Numidia, while auxiliary bishop. He was appointed bishop by Pope Francis on 27 March 2024. He was consecrated at the Mother of Apostles Seminary in Eldoret on 25 May 2024. On 10 July 2025, The Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV transferred him to the Diocese of Kapsabet, a new diocese that he created that same day, and made him the local ordinary there. His installation at Kapsabet diocese followed on 30 August 2025 at the Eliud Kipchoge Sports Complex.
He was born on 15 August 1958 in Soy, Apostolic Prefecture of Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, in western Kenya. He studied philosophy at Saint Augustine's Senior Seminary in Mabanga, Bungoma County. He then transferred to Saint Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary in Nairobi, where he studied theology. He holds a Doctorate in theology, with specialization in liturgy awarded by the University of Vienna (German:Universität Wien). [1] [2]
John Kiplimo Lelei was ordained a priest on 26 October 1985 for the diocese of Eldoret. He served as a priest until 27 March 2024. [1] [2]
As a priest, he held several positions in various locations including: [2]
On 27 March 2024, Pope Francis appointed hm auxiliary bishop of Eldoret, concurrently giving him the titular see of Mons in Numidia. [3] He was consecrated bishop at Eldoret on 25 May 2024. The Principal Consecrator was Hubertus Matheus Maria van Megen, Titular Archbishop of Novaliciana assisted by Maurice Muhatia Makumba, Archbishop of Kisumu and Dominic Kimengich, Bishop of Eldoret. [1] [2]
On 10 July 2025, Pope Leo XIV created the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kapsabet by splitting the diocese of Eldoret. The Holy Father appointed Bishop John Kiplimo Lelei, previously auxiliary bishop of Eldoret as the pioneer bishop of the new diocese, a suffragan of the Metropolitan Ecclesiastical Province of Kisumu. His installation at Kapsabet took place on 30 August 2025. [1] [2] [4]
