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
editAccording 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
editWithin Kenya the hierarchy consists of:
- Archbishopric
- Bishopric
Notable Catholics in Kenya
edit- 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
editReferences
edit- ^ Imperato, Pascal James. African Studies Review, vol. 48, no. 1, 2005, pp. 231-232. JSTOR
- ^ "2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census Volume IV: Distribution of Population by Socio-Economic Characteristics" (PDF). Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ^ Catholics And Culture website, retrieved 2023-08-08
- ^ Page on Awori at Vice-President web site Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "WATERtalk Notes with Teresia Mbari Hinga - WATER - Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual". Retrieved 2021-10-27.
- ^ Gibbon, Peter (1995). Markets, civil society and democracy in Kenya. Nordic Africa Institute. p. 135. ISBN 978-91-7106-371-7.
- ^ Tablino, Paolo (2006). Christianity among the nomads: the Catholic communities in Marsabit, Moyale and Samburu districts of Northern Kenya. volume II. Paulines Publications Africa. p. 37. ISBN 978-9966-08-120-9.
- ^ "Uhuru and the Catholic connection". New African Magazine. 2013-04-04. Retrieved 2021-10-27.
- ^ "Kibaki leads latest Hall of Fame list as Kenya Open turns 50". Citizentv.co.ke. 10 March 2018. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
- ^ Okoth, Edwin (16 June 2015). "MPs Neglect Policy for Private Queries In Vetting CBK Governor Nominee". Daily Nation (Nairobi). Retrieved 19 June 2015.
- ^ "Single bank boss who spurns luxury". BBC News. 2015-07-07. Retrieved 2017-11-16.