Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi

Archdiocese of Nairobi Archidioecesis Nairobiensis
Interior of the Holy Family Cathedral
Location
Country	Kenya
Ecclesiastical province	Nairobi
Statistics
Area	3,271 km2 (1,263 sq mi)
Population Total Catholics	(as of 2013) 4,687,481 2,911,099 (62.1%)
Parishes	115
Information
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	1860
Cathedral	Holy Family cathedral
Current leadership
Pope	Leo XIV
Metropolitan Archbishop	Philip Anyolo
Auxiliary Bishops	David Kamau
Bishops emeritus	John Njue
Website
archdioceseofnairobi.org

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi (Latin : Nairobien(sis)) is the Metropolitan See for the ecclesiastical province of Nairobi in Kenya, and the Primatial see for Kenya.

History

• 26 February 1860: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Zanguebar from the Diocese of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion in Réunion
• 23 November 1883: Promoted as Apostolic Vicariate of Zanguebar
• 1887: Renamed as Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Zanguebar
• 21 December 1906: Renamed as Apostolic Vicariate of Zanzibar
• 25 March 1953: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Nairobi

Special churches

The seat of the archbishop is a minor basilica, the Cathedral of the Holy Family in Nairobi.

Bishops

• Vicar Apostolic of Northern Zanguebar (Latin Church)
  • Bishop Jean-Marie-Raoul Le Bas de Courmont (27 October 1883 – 27 November 1896)
• Vicars Apostolic of Zanzibar (Latin Church)
  • Bishop Emile-Auguste Allgeyer (17 February 1897 – 3 April 1913)
  • Bishop John Gerald Neville (1 September 1913 – 8 March 1930)
  • Bishop John William Heffernan (15 March 1932 - 7 June 1945)
  • Bishop John Joseph McCarthy (11 July 1946 – 25 March 1953); see below
• Metropolitan Archbishops of Nairobi (Latin Church)
  • Archbishop John Joseph McCarthy (25 March 1953 – 24 October 1971); ^[1] see above
  • Archbishop Maurice Michael Otunga (24 October 1971 – 14 May 1997) (Cardinal in 1973)
  • Archbishop Raphael Ndingi Mwana'a Nzeki (21 April 1997 – 6 October 2007)
  • Archbishop John Njue (6 October 2007 – 4 January 2021) (Cardinal in 2007)
  • Archbishop Philip Anyolo (28 October 2021 – present) ^[2]

Coadjutor Archbishops

• Raphael Simon Ndingi Mwana’a Nzeki (1996-1997)
• Maurice Michael Otunga (1969-1971); future Cardinal

Auxiliary Bishops

• Anthony Ireri Mukobo (1999-2006). Appointed Vicar Apostolic of Isiolo
• David Kamau Ng'ang'a (Since 22 December 1999)
• Alfred Kipkoech Arap Rotich (1996-1997). Appointed Bishop of Kenya, Military
• Simon Peter Kamomoe (13 February 2024 - 5 July 2025) ^[3] Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Wote on 5 July 2025. ^[4]
• Wallace Ng'ang'a Gachihi (13 February 2024 - 12 October 2024). Appointed Bishop of Kenya, Military (Since 12 October 2024) ^[5]

Suffragan dioceses

• Kericho
• Kitui
• Machakos
• Nakuru
• Ngong
• Wote

References

1. Archbishop John Joseph McCarthy, Catholic hierarchy, retrieved 28 October 2015
2. "Pope Francis picks Archbishop Philip Anyolo to head Nairobi Catholic Church". 28 October 2021.
3. "Resignations and Appointments". press.vatican.va. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
4. ACI Africa (5 July 2025). "Bishop Kamomoe, Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Kenya's Wote Catholic Diocese". ACI Africa. Nairobi, Kenya. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
5. Joe Mwirigi (12 October 2024). "Rev. Wallace Ng'ang'a Gachihi installed as Bishop of Kenya's Military Ordinariate". Citizen Digital. Nairobi, Kenya. Retrieved 1 December 2024.

Sources

• GCatholic.org

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