POPE LEO XIV APPOINTS FRIAR OBED MURIUNGI AS AUXILIARY BISHOP OF NAIROBI
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has appointed Friar Obed Muriungi of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv.) as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Nairobi.
The announcement was formally made by the Apostolic Nuncio to Kenya, Herbertus Van Megen, during the 1 p.m. Mass at Holy Family Minor Basilica on Thursday, March 26, 2026.
Bishop-elect Obed was born on June 29, 1979, in Meru County, Kenya. He made his solemn profession on October 10, 2010, and later studied Philosophy at St. Bonaventure College before obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Tangaza University. He was ordained to the priesthood in the Order of Friars Minor Conventual on July 28, 2012.
Before his appointment, Bishop-elect Obed served in several leadership and pastoral roles within the Church and the Franciscan Order. From 2019 to 2023, he served as the first Minister Provincial of the newly established Province of St. Francis of Assisi in Kenya. During the same period, he also served as President of the African Federation of the OFM Conv.
He previously served as parish priest at St. Catherine of Alexandria Church in South C, Nairobi, and as Vocations Promoter for the Conventual Franciscan Friars in Kenya. He also worked as a formator and bursar at the OFM Conv. formation house in Nairobi between 2016 and 2019.
Bishop-elect Obed is currently a doctorate student in Clinical Psychology from Daystar University and until his appointment, he was serving as Supreme Moderator of the Franciscan Servants of Mary Queen of Love Fraternity, a religious community of priests and brothers.
His appointment marks a historic milestone for the Franciscan Conventuals in Kenya, as he becomes the first Conventual Franciscan friar and missionary to be appointed bishop in the country since the Order established its first mission in Ruiri, Meru, in 1984.
The Order of Friars Minor Conventual is one of the three major branches of the Franciscan family founded on the spirituality of Saint Francis of Assisi, alongside the Friars Minor (OFM) and the Capuchins (OFM Cap.). The Conventual Franciscans arrived in Kenya in 1984 through missionaries from Poland and Italy and have since expanded their ministry in healthcare, education and parish pastoral work across the country.
As an Auxiliary Bishop of Nairobi, Msgr. Obed will serve alongside His Grace, Most. Rev. Philip Anyolo, Metropolitan Archbishop of Nairobi and His Lordship, Rt. Rev. David Kamau, auxiliary bishop of nairobi in the pastoral leadership of the Archdiocese of Nairobi.
